The Pacifists
by karldin
Summary: The Yondaime Hokage leads Konoha, but tensions simmer in the village due to causes set in motion a long time ago. Uzumaki Naruto, born five years before the Kyuubi attack, lives with parents and brother, trying to make his way to the top and living with the consequences of choices made by and for him.
1. Chapter 1

**Dear Readers,**

**This here is my new story. It begins from when the Uchiha are showing unrest, the prelude to the massacre. As stated in the summary, Naruto's parents are alive due to various reasons. **

**I hope you like this, and please review as you have always done! **

**THE PACIFISTS.**

CHAPTER 1

"No, no, no! Absolutely not!"

"But Kaa-san-"

"Not one more word from you, Naruto!", said Kushina Uzumaki furiously, silencing her son who seemed to be on the verge of bursting into an impassioned speech. "What is wrong with you, you goof? Why do you think putting my baby as an ANBU captain a good idea?", she demanded angrily of the subject of her ire, her husband. Naruto tried to get in a word edgewise, but was simply shushed by the rampaging tornado that was his mother.

"You should be happy with what your son is achieving, woman", came a sarcastic voice from the kitchen doorway, causing them all to go silent. Naruto and Minato both made shushing sounds as the second Namikaze son, Akashiro. But Naruto's brother, well in character, ignored them both. "Instead, here you are, throwing tantrums like Sasuke. Shikamaru was right, you women really are troublesome."

_That Nara boy is really not a good influence on my brother, _thought Naruto apprehensively as Kushina seemed ready to explode. Akashiro was carelessly ladling soup into his bowl, but Naruto saw a faint smile playing on his lips at the imminent explosion they would all face. For all of seven years of age, Akashiro was curiously different from Naruto. Naruto had no idea when Akashiro had become such a mouthy kid. He was not exuberant, but when he spoke he managed to irritate everyone. Their mother had often been the unwitting target of Akashiro's urge to wind everyone up.

"Kushina-chan, it's alright. We all know you are proud of Naruto. Don't listen to Akashiro", said Minato, stepping in bravely. Kushina took one look at him, and then looked at Naruto. Suddenly the anger seemed to flee from her countenance as she collapsed into Minato's arms in tears. The Yondaime Hokage looked shocked at this…Kushina never cried, not even that day eight years ago when the masked intruder had torn the Kyuubi from her body.

"Kaa-san, I'm really sorry", said a chagrined Akashiro, rushing towards his mother.

"She's alright, Akashiro. Go on, leave for the academy. We'll be fine", said Minato as he soothed his wife. Naruto waved his brother goodbye, looking anywhere but at his weeping mother and saddened father. Kushina sat down gingerly with Minato, wiping her eyes on his sleeve. Naruto too sat down at the kitchen table, beckoned by his father. The last two years had been especially stressful on their entire family, what with Konoha's political situation and Naruto joining the ANBU at barely eleven years of age. But this new development was going to be a bitter pill for Kushina to swallow.

"Are you fine now, Kushina-chan?", asked Minato tenderly.

"How can I be fine, you goofy idiot?", said Kushina angrily, flaring up readily as she wiped the last of her tears away. "You've already let my baby nearly die more than a dozen times, by letting him join the ANBU. Now you want to make him a Captain, of all things. Have you finally taken leave of your senses?", she demanded, causing Minato to wince repeatedly at her sharp words. "And you! Don't you have any sense of self-preservation at all? Do you even know the average age an ANBU operative remains alive?", she spat, turning to her son.

"I know, Kaa-san; but averages are not the best guide here. Uchiha Itachi was becoming a captain too, there was no way I'd let him beat me to it", protested Naruto. Minato made discreet signals to grab Naruto's attention, asking him to tread lightly here. Kushina growled at him, and for a moment Naruto felt a shadow of real fear. Even wearing a homemaker's attire, Kushina Uzumaki was a Shinobi to the core. Not unlike Uchiha Mikoto, her friend from Genin days.

"So this was just to show up Itachi-kun?", she asked dangerously.

"Uh…", he stuttered, glancing at his father for help. Minato was shaking his head behind Kushina's back, evidently not impressed by the quality of Naruto's reasons to join the ANBU. "Yeah", he said finally to his mother, looking away from her. "Yeah, that was why. There's no way in hell I would let Itachi beat me at anything, not after he beat me at _Shuriken Jutsu_ at the Academy final test. Can you imagine, me taking orders from Itachi? So you see, I _had_ to be captain", he finished, squinting to see if she actually bought it.

By the sound of Minato's facepalm, it appeared she had not.

"Do you actually think you can lie to your mother, Naruto?", she asked him, breaking the silence that ensued. She turned to Minato, bidding Naruto to be silent as she grilled her husband.

"Minato", she said seriously, "I know something is going on. Ever since the Uchiha clan members have been dying, since last year, you have been giving Naruto more missions. I know I am out of the Village affairs these days, but I am still a retired Jounin. I am also your wife. I wouldn't ask you normally, but this concerns Naruto. I need to know what's happening", she asked him intently.

"Kushina-chan, it's nothing. You know those troublesome Amegakure Shinobi…always annoying us. You know anyone could take care of them", grinned Minato nervously. It was Naruto's turn to facepalm at his father's less than spectacular aversion. Kushina stepped forward and poked Minato's chest fiercely, standing chin to chin with her husband as she stared him down.

"Have you been sending our son to kill those Uchiha, Minato?", she pressed quietly, and this time Naruto became very alert. Kushina's eyes had become red and slitted, and the air was filled with the malice of a Bijuu's chakra. "If you are, then I will personally make you pay. Don't make excuses. Naruto's missions have been coinciding too closely with every murder in the Uchiha compound!"

"The Uchiha situation is complicated", Minato answered in a hard voice, staring fearlessly into the eyes of a Jinchuuriki. Naruto knew his father held no fear of the Kyuubi or its chakra, not when he had faced down the real thing eight years ago. "The Sandaime and I are the only ones buffering between the Uchiha and the rest of the Shinobi. We are doing what we can. Naruto is among the only Shinobi I can count on, Kushina! The only others I can trust absolutely are the Sandaime and Kakashi."

"Swear to me you are not using our son to kill the Uchiha, Minato", Kushina snarled. Minato exchanged a short glance with Naruto, and sighed as he laid a hand on Kushina's cheek.

"I swear. I know you are worried about Mikoto and Fugaku, and their family...you must know me better than this, Kushina. Mikoto has been like an aunt to Naruto, and like a sister to me and you both. Naruto and Akashiro both play in the Uchiha compound with those children as if it were their own. Do you think I would make Naruto kill such close friends? Do you actually think me that cruel?", he questioned softly.

"No", conceded Kushina, lowering her eyes. "I'm so worried, Minato, what with all the tension in the village. You've let our son join ANBU at such a young age, and now you're making him captain an ANBU squad. I wish you'd tell me what is going on", she said, almost pleading at the end. Naruto wiped a stray tear from his face, not quite knowing how to console his mother. Akashiro and he both idolized their father, of course, but Naruto shared an especially close bond with his mother.

_Perhaps it is because of the burden we share,_ he thought, placing a hand on his abdomen. "I can take care of myself, Kaa-san", he told her reassuringly, and she turned to him.

"I know. You are Minato's and my son, after all", she sighed. "But I am just so worried about you, Naruto. I was just speaking to Mikoto the other day, and she was so sad by how aloof Itachi has become. She says she can't even understand Itachi anymore; it is as if he is living in a different world. I just don't want that to happen with you. You've already grown up so fast I don't even remember you doing it!"

Naruto stepped forward and hugged her tightly, trying to convey all his certainty and resolve to his mother. "It won't, Kaa-san, I swear it. When I am with you, I will always be myself. No ANBU marble face with my mother", he promised her firmly, grinning a little at the relieved thumbs-up Minato shot him from behind Kushina's back. "It's alright, Kaa-san, really. I'm not Itachi…I can't imagine being so stuck up all the time. Don't cry", he said as she sobbed at his joke and promise, patting her back as he disengaged from the hug.

"Finish your breakfast. I will just go freshen up", she told him as her sniffles ceded. As she exited the kitchen, Naruto looked seriously at his father.

"We should really see about bringing her into the fold, Tou-san. Are you sure she's better of not knowing?", he asked seriously. "It's better she starts avoiding going to the Uchiha compound, Akashiro too. She can help keep him away if she knows why. She'll also be ready when something goes wrong."

Minato drained his own tea, and set the cup down on the table with just a mite more force than necessary. "No, Naruto. There is absolutely no way we can tip the Uchiha off to the fact that we are onto them. Your mother has always been emotional, and the _Sharingan_ can immediately pick off her negativity. This is for her safety, and that of Akashiro's!"

"You're probably right", agreed Naruto after a while of silence. Akashiro was a great deal like Kushina, always wearing his feelings openly. "Akashiro will probably go around insinuating about it near Sasuke, and blow up everything", he said wryly. Minato grinned abashedly; they both knew that was exactly what Akashiro would do if he knew what was going on. That kid's first instinct was to rile up someone and he succeeded more often than not.

"Anyway, I have today free before beginning tomorrow again. Tell Kaa-san I've gone to Ichiraku", Naruto said, standing up.

"Of course. Be sure to bring her a good portion of what you eat as well", Minato said with a smile, both of them knowing full well of Kushina's rapacious appetite for Ramen. Naruto tossed his father a lazy salute, and washed his hands. No doubt his parents would do a lot of discussion once the house was empty…his mother's tension had been mounting for months and Naruto knew his recent promotion was the last straw.

He knew they needed to have it out, and it was better he wasn't there for it. He speedily exited the house as he heard his mother returning to the kitchen. _It's only going to get harder, this Uchiha situation. And that is only counting one problem we have inside the Village,_ he thought gloomily as he walked out onto the street.

"Ohayo, Ohayo", he replied to the multiple greetings people gave him as he trudged the road. Being the Yondaime's son had given him instant recognition, and the careful eye of every tutor he had at the academy. It had also given him quite a bit of unwanted adulation from the populace. _The shadow of my father's greatness,_ he thought whimsically as entered the shadow cast by the Hokage mountain. The respect he bore for his father was nothing less than phenomenal, but it did get wearying for him to get singled out as the Hokage's son.

He had been conscious of it even as a child and it was what drove him to create an identity for himself. He passed the Academy as he strode towards Ichiraku's, returning greetings from random people, and ignoring the odd glance of disdain or resentment. The academy was a major part of every Shinobi's childhood in Konoha, and it played a major part in his as well. He closed his eyes for a moment, recalling his first day at the place.

_He remembered standing quietly by his father's side as he talked to the Academy instructor. The Academy had always fascinated him…he couldn't wait to get his hands on some real Shuriken and Kunai. So when his father had, one day, with a somber face announced that it was time for Naruto to be joining the academy, he had literally bounced around the house in excitement. _

"_Hokage-sama, you should teach him yourself. Or if you are busy, Kushina-sama should teach him. Considering what he houses I am not certain the Academy will-"_

"_The Academy is perfect", interrupted Minato, shooting a wary glance at Naruto. "He will learn here, and not just how to be a Shinobi. He is a child who is too shy outside the house. He must learn how to live with peers. All the Shinobi skills in the world are useless without that one thing", he said firmly. The instructor paused for a moment, and then nodded diffidently._

_Naruto, for his part, was just eager to get on with it. "Uh, Aburame-sensei?", he began shyly. _

"_Yes, Naruto-sama?"_

"_When will you teach me how to throw Kunai?", he asked, unable to bear the excitement as he pictured himself dashing around, throwing Kunai with perfect aim and hit bulls-eye on a dozen targets. The solemn air was split by the laughter of the Hokage, joined a moment later by the instructor. _

"_Not for a long time yet, Naruto-sama. Not for a long time. You are the Hokage's son, and we can't have you cut yourself into pieces anytime soon now can we?", wheezed the instructor, his laughter dying down with Minato's. Naruto wondered just what was so funny._

He had never liked the emphasis the instructor had put on the phrase "Hokage's son". That preference was further reinforced when classes commenced.

"_Be good, Naruto", his mother warned him gently. It was the first day at the Academy, and all the parents were there to see their children off. "Oh, there's Mikoto-chan. You have never met her son till now, have you Naruto. Come on I'll introduce you", she said enthusiastically, dragging a reluctant Naruto to meet her friend. Mikoto waved to her friend with one hand as the other was occupied holding a serious looking boy with the dark hair and eyes of the Uchiha clan._

"_Oh, hello Kushina-chan!", smiled Mikoto as they waded through the press of parents and children to meet. "It's Itachi's first day too! Itachi, you remember Kushina-san don't you?", she asked her son. The boy nodded._

"_I do indeed. Hello, Kushina-san", he said politely to Naruto's mother, sketching a polite bow. Naruto just stared at the boy as Kushina chuckled, wondering who even spoke like that. He decided right there that the boy was just too full of himself._

"_Oh, he's so serious. Like a little storm-cloud", Kushina whispered to Mikoto as they shared a hearty laugh at the expense of a serene looking Itachi. "Naruto, you too remember Mikoto-san, don't you? You met her the other day at the ration outlet?", she asked her own son. Naruto tore his eyes away from Itachi and looked up at Mikoto who was looking kindly at him._

"_Hello, Mikoto-san", he mumbled, discreetly stepping behind his mother's legs. Mikoto knelt and gleefully pinched his cheeks, causing him to retreat even further._

"_He's too adorable, Kushina-chan!", said Mikoto with a bright smile. "He and Itachi will be best friends, won't you Itachi?"_

"_I don't know, Kaa-san. I am not opposed to the concept", came the serious reply. "But I don't think Naruto-sama's capacity will surpass mine. Only those with equal or near equal capacity can form a true friendship, everything else is a mere illusion or an excess of trying."_

_Again Naruto was reduced to staring at the boy, this time along with his mother. He hadn't ever heard someone his own age call him "Naruto-sama" or anything of the sort. And what was all this about capacities? Naruto was far from stupid, and it sounded to him like this Itachi was labelling him stupid. He tugged on Kushina's sleeve as she looked on in puzzlement at Itachi. _

"_I don't like him, Kaa-san. I don't think we'll ever be best friends", he said conspiratorially to his mother. Kushina was about to reprimand him, but it appeared Itachi had heard what he had said. With that calm expression, and superior demeanor Naruto was beginning to despise, he spoke:_

"_You are not required to like me, Naruto-sama. We are merely Shinobi working for the same Village. Please do not constrain my capacity with your lack of the same", said the young Uchiha boy. That was it. Naruto may not have ventured out of home too much, but he could never take being put down like this. Anger surged through him as he threw himself at the boy, intending to show him a thing or two._

_But somehow, he found himself pinned to the ground. There was no pain but he couldn't move either thanks to Itachi immobilizing him with an arm lock. "I told you, Naruto-sama. The difference between you and I is too large. Do not fight me until your capacity can match mine", said the Uchiha quietly. Naruto flinched as he looked into his nemesis' eyes, wondering why they had suddenly become a bright red with a single tomoe._

"_Let him go, Itachi! Kushina-chan, I am truly sorry-"_

"_It is fine, Mikoto-chan. Your son was defending himself", Kushina excused graciously as she pulled Naruto to a standing position. "And he has the Sharingan already? You really are quite the prodigy, Itachi-kun!", she said happily. Naruto was offended by how little his mother thought of this episode. She had never called him a prodigy! He looked back at Itachi, who was showing no particular emotion after subduing him. If it were Naruto who had done the subduing, he would have gloated for hours on end._

"_He is. Fugaku confirmed it yesterday; Itachi awoke the Sharingan earliest in the Uchiha clan. No one has ever done it under eight years of age, but Itachi did it a week ago exactly on his fifth birthday!", exclaimed Mikoto proudly, ruffling her son's hair. As the two women went on chatting, Naruto tried to catch Itachi's eye. His anger forgotten quickly, he wanted to know how the Uchiha had done that maneuver. _

_But he was being completely ignored. "I'll match your capacity soon", he murmured to the boy, seeing if he heard that. Just when he was about to turn away in frustration, Itachi replied calmly._

"_I await the day, Naruto-sama."_

"_Don't call me sama!", shouted Naruto as Mikoto moved away finishing her conversation with Kushina. "Kaa-san, I really don't like him. I'm going to finish him in Taijutsu class! I'll be a prodigy too!", he said determinedly, letting go of his mother's hand and trudging determinedly towards the Academy doors. He was followed by his mother's delighted laughter and encouragement._

"_Good luck, Naruto! Be a good boy and come straight home!"_

Naruto shook his head, wondering just why Itachi was so stuck up. He still didn't get it, not even now when they were about to captain ANBU squads of their own. He had grown out of the resentment he had borne Itachi since that less than cordial first meeting, but the rivalry was there still as strong as ever. He still wanted to find out who was better among them; Itachi had always avoided unnecessary fights, and always refused a fight with him. He had stopped trying after a while.

"One Miso Ramen for me, Teuchi-san and pack four for Kaa-san", he said to the affable owner of the restaurant. Teuchi's daughter Ayame seemed to be absent for the day. He watched Teuchi enthusiastically make Ramen, with a skill that almost always converted to heavenly dishes. "Teuchi-san, when will you teach me how to make Ichiraku Ramen?", asked Naruto, looking greedily at the steaming bowl of his favorite dish. This had been a running joke between them ever since a four year old Naruto refused to eat anything until Teuchi taught Kushina how to make his 'special' Ramen. That had been the first time he had visited the place.

"You know I won't do it ever, Naruto", returned Teuchi humorously, along with a large bowl of the most delicious Miso Ramen ever. "Feel free to skip eating in protest if you want", he added, referencing that first day of their association. Naruto however was in no mood for throwing pointless tantrums as he slurped the Ramen noisily, and with no decorum whatsoever. Within a few short moments, he had finished with the entire bowl and pushed it away the moment the last morsel entered his mouth.

"Time?", he asked Teuchi, munching on his pork slice. The Ramen maker had stopped his watch, and looked at Naruto with a smile.

"Forty-five seconds."

"Shit! I still can't beat Kaa-san. She averages thirty seconds per bowl", rued Naruto as he waited for Kushina's order to come by. Their Ramen eating contests were legendary within the family, and cost Minato no little. Teuchi took away the bowl, handing Naruto a box of tissues to clean up.

"So Naruto, doing well for yourself now huh? Already the talk of the village", said Teuchi good-naturedly as Naruto cleaned off the remnants of Ramen from his speed-eating. "We've got not one prodigy now, but two, and both from the same batch. They're already saying there will never be another like you and Itachi-san", Teuchi said. Naruto shook his head. Old man Teuchi really was a gossip monger of the highest order. Also, he chafed at being mentioned in the same sentence as Itachi.

"I've already said this, Teuchi-san", he clarified yet again, this time with exasperation, "I just train more than the average Shinobi. I'm no prodigy", he said, the last word distasteful as it passed his mouth. Prodigy meant Itachi, and Itachi meant irritation to him. Where the other Shinobi saw a solitary genius, Naruto saw an irritating genius. He watched Teuchi shake his head amusedly, waddling off to prepare the rest of his order and consequently leaving him alone in the small eating area.

"Why on earth do they confuse hard work and motivation with born talent?", he mumbled again, confused by how people perceived him. He knew they viewed him as the Yondaime's son still to a certain extent, but really these concepts were simple. _Itachi again,_ he thought, annoyed. _He has them convinced that genius runs in families. _

"Thinking about Itachi again, niisan?"

Naruto turned to see his brother enter the restaurant, and his eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you at the Academy, Akashiro?", he asked sternly. He looked over his brother's shoulder, and sure enough there was the redoubtable Nara Shikamaru. Now Naruto was positively irritated. "And you, Shikamaru. You both shouldn't be skipping out like this. I'll tell Kaa-san, Akashiro", he threatened, bringing out the big guns without hesitation.

"Yeah, don't sweat it", said Akashiro, as he and Shikamaru lethargically seated themselves on either side of him. "We had a test today, niisan. Since it got over today, we're here to celebrate. What do you want to have, Shikamaru?", he asked his friend. The Nara said nothing, musing upon the choice for several seconds.

"I think I'll have what you will be having", said Shikamaru lazily. Akashiro looked disappointed.

"Oh, I was planning to say that to you. Anyway, Teuchi-san!", he bellowed, "give me whatever niisan was having just now!", he ordered, and Naruto rolled his eyes. Sometimes his parents wondered about Akashiro, who was obviously quite intelligent. Naruto felt personally that his brother had a much tighter handle on emotions than himself, despite being younger by five years.

"So how did the test go?", he asked his brother curiously.

"Flunked it, niisan. Got a zero. Shikamaru and I fell asleep before the test began", sighed Akashiro. _Typical,_ thought Naruto, looking at his brother. In looks, they were as different as their personalities. Naruto had often been identified as a near exact copy of the Yondaime at that age, with hints of Kushina about the face. Akashiro was the opposite, however. He was a male version of Kushina down to the hair with hints of Minato.

But Naruto's temperament resembled his mother's a great deal…he was fiery and passionate most of the time though that had quickly mellowed during his time in the ANBU. Akashiro on the other hand inherited Minato's calm and collected nature, along with a healthy dose of laziness. No one was sure where that last trait had come from as none of Minato or Kushina's forbears had possessed it.

"Who got top marks?", Naruto asked, in an effort to begin motivating his brother. Alas, he knew in his mind how futile that was. Still he never stopped trying by command of his mother.

"Uchiha Sasuke", answered Akashiro. "He seems to want to get his brother's approval rather badly. I have no idea why", he said, squinting at his brother. Naruto face palmed as Shikamaru too looked quizzically at him as if he could explain it. This was one thing he actually liked a great deal about Akashiro; even at this young age, his brother had a strongly developed sense of self, needing no one's approval to be himself.

This was in strong contrast with Naruto, who fed off the acknowledgement of others. Perhaps Uchiha Sasuke was the same, thought Naruto, needing his brother's approval to truly succeed. "Akashiro, you really have to try hard at the Academy", said Naruto seriously. "Being lazy will only get you killed in the field. Tou-san, Kaa-san and I won't always be there to protect you, you know?"

"See, this is why I prefer clouds to people", said Shikamaru matter-of-factly to his friend, and turned back to slowly munching on his food.

"Niisan, why do you always make me think about the future?", whined Akashiro, ignoring Shikamaru's quip. "I know you're an ANBU captain and all that, but really, not everyone can do it like you and Itachi-san. Can't you just let me graduate in the normal amount of time? I don't want to move fast like you. Nice double entendre, huh?", he asked Shikamaru, who nodded appreciatively.

"Very nice indeed, Akashiro-kun. Now kindly proceed home before sensei comes searching for you two", came a distinctly lazy voice. "Ah, Naruto, we're fellow captains now, huh? So you won't be taking orders from me any longer…makes me sad when I think about it."

"Oh Kakashi-san, it's you", said Naruto, watching his brother walk out dispiritedly back home with his friend. No doubt their parents would be puzzled by Akashiro's performance. They, better than anyone else, knew how clever their son could be- it puzzled them when he did not apply himself. "Yeah, we won't be on the same team any longer. Is there a problem? Today is an off-day for me", said Naruto to the copy ninja.

"For me too", revealed Kakashi, waiting for Naruto to get his order. Once that was done, they both greeted Teuchi and stepped out of the restaurant and into the busy streets of Konoha. "Sensei's given an off-day to all the ANBU captains. I think ROOT is on unofficial duty today", he added, glancing at a side alley to catch a flicker of motion. Naruto had caught it too, and quite clearly. Apparently, ROOT was doing its duty even as they spoke.

"Danzo is already interfering then?", asked Naruto quietly.

"He never stopped", answered Kakashi with a chuckle. Then he turned serious as he looked at Naruto, "I heard chatter that he was trying to recruit Itachi into ROOT, or atleast make him sympathetic to its cause. As should be obvious, we can't have that happening. I just finished having a chat with him myself about it."

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh, this and that. A few threats and promises, you know how it goes", said Kakashi genially. "Oh don't look like that, Naruto. You know how the ANBU works. We don't like one of our own switching sides in the middle of war, or indeed any other time. Even someone like Itachi, who is playing every side of the board simultaneously", admonished Kakashi at his glum look.

"I have no idea why Tou-san won't consider this, but it's been bugging me forever", said Naruto in a low voice as they sat on a bench next to the memorial stone in the training grounds, "How do we know Itachi is telling us everything? He could be selling us out to his clan even as he tells us he is selling them out to us. Or he could be selling out both or one of us to ROOT. I just cannot get a read on him and I've tried for years", spat Naruto with frustration.

"Maa, why are you so excited?", asked Kakashi, puzzled. "Whatever gave you the impression that we are so dependent on Itachi's intel?"

"We're not?"

"Well, in a way we are, yes, but for the most part it is irrelevant. We've been warned and that is what matters. We will be ready for them no matter what they try", said Kakashi reassuringly. "The only problem is ROOT. We have no idea how they will act in all this. We considered asking Itachi to look into ROOT, but he's already such a shady character that we didn't bother."

"You're wrong, Kakashi-san", replied Naruto. "There is another variable, and it's Itachi himself. I still don't know what Tou-san is playing at, promoting him to Captain."

"Aside from the fact that he more than deserves it?", asked Kakashi with a smile. "Sensei probably wants to soothe the ever hurt Uchiha pride by acknowledging their prodigy. It seems to have worked for the moment, by what we know and see."

"Oh", was all Naruto could say as they sat in silence. Kakashi hummed as he opened up a board of Shougi, beginning their usual routine on off-days. _I wonder what will be decided at tomorrow's meeting, _thought Naruto, his thoughts on the ANBU captains' meet that the Yondaime had called. Since ANBU was the one arm of Konoha Shinobi that was directly under the Hokage's command, it went without saying that it was a division that could be trusted the most by the Hokage. The sound of wood striking wood caught his attention.

"Your move, Naruto", said Kakashi genially, and soon the game was underway.

…

The divide in the chamber was almost tangible, even to the unobservant. But this meeting was happening under a shroud of heavy secrecy, under guard of ANBU.

The Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, sat with his predecessor, Sarutobi Hiruzen in chairs that were almost opposite the other occupants of the room. Shimura Danzo the head of ROOT division of the ANBU, and the other elders Homura and Koharu were seated in those chairs and the tension in the air was almost palpable. Minato knew that the Sandaime and his former teammates were almost always at odds, with Homura and Koharu usually favoring Danzo's radical schemes.

"Thank you for giving my ROOT Shinobi a chance, Hokage-sama. Hatake Kakashi's little speech with me notwithstanding, I am grateful for this chance", said Danzo deferentially with an inclined head. "I assure you their report will be of the highest quality; you can rely on them to protect Konoha when the times demand it."

Though it was not vocalized, Minato felt the disapproval of Hiruzen by a lifetime of knowing him. Though he admired the Sandaime, he did not ascribe to the principle of letting Danzo handle the dirty work and making the old war-hawk a handy scapegoat. "You are welcome, Danzo-san. I have called this meeting for a reason. We have had a major development", he said, not wasting time with further pleasantries. He turned towards the door, and called out, "Itachi, please come in, and remove your mask."

An instant later, a young man knelt opposite them, with his crow mask in his hand. Minato studied Itachi, as always impressed by the young Shinobi's utter dedication to Konoha. He was not quite certain what had helped form Itachi's esoteric ideology, but he knew for certain that with Itachi the Will of Fire was as strong as any Hokage's. ANBU were handpicked by the Hokage, and when Minato knew when he had tested Itachi that he had found a truly rare breed of Shinobi.

"Tell us again what you told me half an hour ago, Itachi", prompted Minato, interlocking his fingers as he leant forward.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. On the news that I was made ANBU captain, my father let me into the inner circle of the clan. I attended the first meeting at the Naka shrine today", said Itachi in that emotionless tone to the meeting at large. Minato saw Danzo's eyes widen with excitement at this; everyone had been trying to spy on those secret Uchiha clan meets, and Danzo had been trying to infiltrate it for years, but it was all in vain.

"I am to feed top-secret ANBU intel to them, so they can neutralize the ones who guard the Hokage and his family. The coup 'd'état will not be large. Only those in the highest echelons of Konoha's administration will be assassinated, along with their families", finished Itachi calmly, his face betraying nothing of his emotions about his clan or their plans.

Minato's eyes narrowed, the only visible reaction he gave to Itachi's intel. Sheer rage overwhelmed him for a moment as he heard the Uchiha clan's plans to murder his family…and after everything he had done to accommodate their wishes! He saw Hiruzen sigh with defeat, as if acceding to the inevitable end, while Danzo smiled in triumph.

"The Uchiha are an unstable force, guided mostly by their passions…present company excluded", said Danzo, inclining his head to Itachi who did not even blink. "They must not be allowed to jeopardize Konoha any further, Hokage-sama. They must be removed, root and branch, before they bite the hand that fed them! You see now, Hiruzen, what I proposed was no abomination", he said in a gravely smug tone to his former teammate.

"Perhaps I was…wrong about this", the Sandaime conceded grudgingly. "Itachi, even if they took out our ANBU guards, how do they plan to kill us? We are a little better than the ANBU", he asserted, looking curiously at Itachi while Minato discarded his rage with an effort, and listened. This was important; Kushina, Danzo, and Hiruzen were all S-class Shinobi, while he was the first to be categorized SS-class in many generations. Answering the question of how they were to be killed would let them form their response towards this crisis.

"I do not know yet", Itachi said simply, causing them to frown. "I do know they have a plan for dealing with the Hokage, but they did not tell me yet. I believe I will know once I have gained more of their trust."

"The question is this, Minato", said Koharu in her slightly quavering voice, "Do we order a preemptive strike on the Uchiha? We already know they have betrayed the Village. We cannot be faulted for resorting to the sword, not after extending the olive branch for years."

_Not that you did any of the extending. That was me and the Sandaime,_ thought Minato sourly. "You may leave if you wish, Itachi", he said kindly to the boy, knowing how painful it must be for him to hear people discuss his clan's extermination and do nothing about it. But Itachi stayed put, shaking his head slightly in refusal to leave. In that instant, Minato felt blazing pride for the boy…the boy who chose village above clan, who chose peace above destruction. Never had he seen such steadfast devotion to ideals, not to an extent of forsaking one's own blood.

_If only you truly knew what a son you had, Fugaku, you would stop reaching for more than you could hold,_ thought Minato sadly. He looked at Koharu, already knowing the answer to her question.

"We will _not _strike first", he said firmly, ignoring the annoyed exhalation of Danzo. "We will rely upon our intel, and we shall be ready for them when they strike. Only when they draw first blood shall we respond. We shall keep a close eye on them until such a time, and until then try to defuse the situation through dialog only. No clandestine operation by you, Danzo-san", he said sternly to the bandaged man. He acknowledged the Sandaime's relieved smile with a nod to him, and to Itachi, who he knew must be relieved beyond measure.

"Hokage-sama, we will be completely vulnerable", protested Danzo quietly. Minato raised his hand to stall further protests by anyone.

"The way I see it, we are at a crossroads. We can either choose to believe that the Uchiha can be guided into doing the right thing. This path would be what the Shodai would choose", he said solemnly, "or we could choose the pragmatic, uncomplicated path of the Niidaime which is to eliminate the threat before we are ourselves destroyed. We must seek to understand the Uchiha, and see exactly who is stirring up this malcontent."

"Minato is right", concurred the Sandaime strongly, "the Village's darkness begins only with distrust. We must go to the heart of this issue, and finish this peacefully. The Uchiha belong to Konoha. They are not our enemies."

Silence ensued as each of them considered the ramifications.

"We will discuss this more and how to execute it at tomorrow's meeting, when all the ANBU captains will be present. Itachi, you are dismissed", said Minato, breaking the somber mood. Itachi disappeared with a _Shunshin_, and Minato watched Homura, Koharu, and Danzo file out of the room silently. "Sandaime, should we contact sensei about this?", he asked seriously.

"No", replied Hiruzen after a moment of thought, "Let us leave Jiraiya be. He is tracking Orochimaru, and my old genius of a student is another threat we should be careful of. I do not think it is time to bring back the Sannin, Minato, not yet. That would tell of how desperate we are."

"There is something going on in the Village that I am not aware of, Sandaime", said Minato heavily, with his face in his hands. "The masked man's warning rings in my mind, even from eight years in the past. I do not know why, but I get this feeling of foreboding…my gut says he has something to do with all this. He nearly killed me and Kushina that day, and if it weren't for the sacrifice of Sarutobi Shuji, Akashiro and Naruto would be orphans."

"Shuji was a great man and Shinobi. I never believed he would use the Reaper death seal in that manner, not until I saw it…who knows what was running through his mind?", wondered Hiruzen, recalling his once most trusted kinsman who had summoned the death god in his place. But why he dealt with the Kyuubi the way he did was a mystery. "The point is, Minato, you are dishonoring Shuji's sacrifice with this indecision. You already defeated the masked man once. When next you meet, go for the kill without hesitation", urged the Sandaime to his successor.

"There was something familiar about him", murmured Minato, lost in memories of that dreadful night. The two men, the two Hokage, sat there each lost in their own thoughts. _Kushina would kill me if she knew what mission I was planning to assign to Naruto tomorrow_, thought the Yondaime glumly. Being Hokage had been his dream, but he had not quite foreseen the conflict between his duties as the leader and his love for his firstborn.

_But if anyone can handle it,_ he thought, a feeling of stifling pride surging through him but this time for his own son,_ It is Naruto._

**Author's note:**

**I truly hope you liked it! I look forward to your opinions, in fact I await them eagerly even as you read this!**

**Sincerely,**

**Karldin.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello!**

**My new chapter to the story is here. I am trying to build this story slowly and thoroughly, and I assure you I am putting all the effort possible to make this a most enjoyable journey for my readers. Please review and encourage as you have always done!**

**Sincerely,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 2

"Akashiro!", yelled Naruto, pounding on the door to his brother's room. "If you've stolen my _Katana_ again, you're going to regret it! Aka-"

He paused mid-pound as the door creaked open. His brother's head poked out, looking at him with no little annoyance. "Don't give me that look, you little brat. I don't know how you took my _Katana,_ since it was right at my bedside table before I slept. Give it back", ordered Naruto severely, knowing his brother to be the culprit of this latest disappearance of his ANBU gear. Akashiro took great pleasure in needling his older brother, and one of the preferred methods for that goal was scattering and even hiding Naruto's things.

"Go away, Niisan. I didn't take anything", replied Akashiro, his annoyance giving way to a massive yawn as he trudged back to his bed. Naruto pushed the door open, following his brother into his room. Akashiro's room was a curious space, the walls covered mostly by pictures of the _Shougi_ board with its pieces in various states. Naruto himself cared little for the game, though he was sure he could learn it well if he really wanted. He looked down on the ground, and observed several sheets strewn around with illustrations of possible _Shougi_ piece movements.

"Staying up all night to think up board game tactics, are we, Akashiro? That too when you are supposedly preparing for your history test tomorrow?", he questioned tightly, as his little brother crawled deep into the bedcovers and pulled them over his head. "How many times should I tell you? These games will never help you out there", he berated angrily, pointing out of the window at everything outside Konoha in general. As was the norm in their little altercations, Akashiro completely ignored him and within seconds Naruto was greeted by his brother's sound snoring.

He contemplated waking the boy with a splash of water, but thought better of it. "I'm going to tell Kaa-san", he told his brother in a singsong voice, smiling in satisfaction as the sheet-covered bundle's loud and completely fake snores were given away by an involuntary twitch. "Yes, that's right, little brother. Kaa-san's going to make you wish you were top student as she makes you compensate for everything you didn't do in the academy", he said happily, making his way out of the room and letting the door slam behind him.

He was smiling like a loon as he descended the stairs, as the sounds of his brother slamming against the door became quite audible. He had taken care to lock the door from the outside, of course, to give the brat a real scare. Of course, he wasn't going to tell their mother, but Akashiro's overly careless nature left him doing these things at times.

"Naruto, is your brother alright?", asked Kushina as he walked into the living room.

"Yes, Kaa-san, he is fine", said Naruto with a nod. Kushina looked doubtfully at him, and then at the ceiling which was thudding slightly as Akashiro thudded against the door.

"By the way, did you see my _Katana?_", he asked her as he proceeded toward the door. "It really wouldn't matter that much ordinarily, I would just put in an order to get another _Katana _from the ANBU chief of armory, but I can't be late to the meeting. Today's my first day as Captain and I can't be seen without my full uniform", he explained earnestly as she looked up at him.

She delicately put down the vase she was wiping, and walked up to stand before him. Naruto looked into his mother's eyes as they filled with tears, not quite liking how this was becoming a common occurrence lately. He liked even less how he was the cause of those occurrences. "Kaa-san", he said quietly, as she ran her hand gently through his hair.

"You're taller now; you nearly reach up to my ears", she murmured as Naruto closed his eyes. "I'll never get used to seeing my son in full ANBU uniform. Minato tells me he'll look out for you, and I know he will. I even considered coming out of retirement and joining your team", said Kushina with a small laugh at Naruto's horrorstruck look.

"Uh, Kaa-san, I know you're a great Kunoichi, but…um…", he stuttered, unable to express his turmoil at having his mother on his _ANBU squad_ of all things. He stopped when Kushina swatted his head sternly, looking amused at his reaction. He was inwardly very relieved at the cessation of her tears which were threatening to fall; he could never see his mother cry.

"Relax, son, we immediately discounted that possibility. I would have to take orders from you, and we both know I can't do that", sighed Kushina, pinching Naruto playfully as he let out an explosive breath of relief. "And of course, there's your brother. I wish he were more like you when it came to the academy, but I am not sure any longer if that is where his interests lie", she continued, glancing up at the rather loud crashing noise that ensued above them.

"What do you mean, Kaa-san?" he asked her, intrigued by her observation. Maybe she had seen something about Akashiro he hadn't and he was very curious to know what. "Do you mean he doesn't want to be a Shinobi?"

"Oh no, he joined the academy without hesitation. I am quite sure he wants to be one, Naruto", she elaborated to his relief. "But he wants to do it in his own way, I think. He has always done things in his own way…it's mainly why Minato and I have not pressured him too much. We are sure he will find his way", she told him, making him feel somewhat guilty as his brother crashed into the living room with an unusually wild look about him.

"Kaa-san, I swear I will study really hard! I swear it. Don't listen to Niisan. I'll even beat Sasuke from next term, I promise!", shouted Akashiro, pumping his fist enthusiastically into the air. Naruto muffled his laughter with a palm as he hid behind his stupefied mother, feeling extremely pleased at successfully tricking his usually astute little brother. Kushina broke out of her reverie suddenly, rushing at her youngest and gathering him in a crushing hug.

"That's my son!", she said happily, as Akashiro made faces at Naruto over his mother's shoulder. "You see, Naruto, I told you Akashiro would find his way. It's happening even as we speak! You make sure you beat Mikoto's boy soundly in the next test, Akashiro", she ordered as she ruffled her youngest's hair affectionately.

"_You're dead"_, mouthed Akashiro to Naruto, looking deeply ashamed at falling for his brother's cheap trick.

"_Right"_, mouthed Naruto back sarcastically. "I'm leaving, Kaa-san", he announced, feeling in a better mood than before. A look at the wall clock told him he was almost running late and he couldn't have that today. Waving cheerily to his brother as Kushina herded Akashiro to the kitchen, he opened the door to the house and stepped out into the rather beautiful morning…and yelped as he felt his mother's strong grip pull him back into the house. "Did you actually try to leave without saying goodbye to your mother, Naruto?", she asked him sweetly. He shook his head rapidly.

"Sorry, Kaa-san, I forgot. Goodbye!", he said brightly to her, giving her a tight hug and attempting to run out into the village. He yelped again as he was pulled back into the house by the high collar of his ANBU vest, and Kushina slammed the door shut this time. "Kaa-san, I can't be late to this! Hokage-sama even made Kakashi-san promise to be early to this one, and I can't be worse!", he protested.

" 'Hokage-sama' can, and will, wait", said Kushina firmly. "Didn't you forget something?", she asked, pointing to the empty straps at the back of his flak jacket; straps that were meant to hold his _Katana._

_Crap,_ thought Naruto. "Please let me borrow yours, Kaa-san. Itachi will be armed to the teeth and look cool as usual. I can't go there looking like an idiot. Just for today", he pleaded. Kushina was shaking her head silently at his words and her left hand, which was behind her back all this time, now came out in front. Naruto stopped speaking as he beheld what his mother was offering him, and his eyes went round.

He recognized the object…every Genin on Konoha would, thanks to the copious amount of illustrations in their history books. This object was unofficially recognized as a relic, a symbol of pride and heritage for Konoha. He did not have any clue as to how his mother possessed it, or how she procured it.

"Kaa-san, this is…"

"Senju Hashirama's sword. Shodai-sama ended Uchiha Madara's life with it", agreed Kushina quietly. Naruto's hands began shaking as he accepted the sheathed _Katana _reverently; it felt like an ordinary blade, but he felt unworthy of holding it. He looked wonderingly at the double-trident symbol of the Senju clan carved into the sheath, knowing that this very sword had once been held by the mightiest Shinobi the world had known after the Rikudou Sennin himself.

"How did you get this?", he asked in a low voice.

"Mito-sama gave it to me, when she was on her deathbed. There was no one else to inherit it, and Tsunade-sama did not want it. It's remained with me ever since. I even forgot I had it, until yesterday", Kushina said softly. Naruto slid the blade out of its sheath just a little, and saw that its blade was as keen and shining as a _Katana_ could be. He traced a finger over a character carved near the hilt, and looked up at his mother as he sheathed the blade.

"Is this your _Fuuinjutsu,_ Kaa-san?", he asked curiously.

"It is Mito-sama's", said Kushina. "She was the best sealing mistress in the Uzumaki clan, and she sealed her husband's blade so it would not break in the fight with Madara. The seal is activated every time you run _Chakra_ through the blade...it should serve you as well as it did its previous owner, Naruto", she told him with a tearful smile.

"This is too much for-"

"Nothing good is too much for my son. You refused my training in everything but _Fuuinjutsu_, but you will _not_ refuse my gift, Naruto. Every time you use the sword, remember me and remember the fact that you have your mother to return to. Promise me you won't act overly heroic like that goofball Minato, and don't take unnecessary risks. Promise me!", she exhorted him.

"I promise, Kaa-san", he said unhesitatingly, overwhelmed by the gesture. "I don't intend to die any time soon, I love you far too much", he assured her fervently, swiftly wiping away her tears even as he strapped the sword to his flak jacket. "Crap I'm late!", he shouted in alarm, as his mother chuckled. Giving her a tight, final hug, he formed the ram seal and disappeared with a _Shunshin_.

…..

"You're late, Naruto."

"Sorry, Hokage-sama", said Naruto contritely, as he opened the door fully and let himself into the office of the Hokage. "Oh hey, your masks are all off. We're taking it easy, huh?", he asked brightly, looking at his fellow captains who stood in neat rows on both sides of the Hokage's desk. He rapidly removed his own Eagle mask, and stood quickly at the far end of the row to the right of the Hokage thus completing the set of eight ANBU captains.

"Right", said Namikaze Minato, once Naruto had settled. "Now that we are all here, we can begin this meeting. There has been some shuffling in the captain ranks of the ANBU, thanks to many events. I would like you all to introduce yourselves to- yes, Tenzo?", he asked courteously of the Shinobi standing to Naruto's right. Naruto looked at the man, who seemed quite a few years older than himself, with some interest.

"Uh, Hokage-sama", said Tenzo diffidently. "Is this breach of protocol wise? The ANBU captains have traditionally had little contact with their fellows…it is only prudent, so as to keep an operation confined within the squad it is designated to. And also", he ploughed on as the Hokage opened his mouth, "I would be much obliged if you could address me by my codename."

"Very well, Yamato", answered the Hokage seriously. "We must do away with pointless tradition at this level; we absolutely cannot have any suspicion amongst ourselves. The eight of you will co-operate closely in the coming months as we deal with a potentially disastrous situation. I intend to unify the ANBU into one well-oiled machine, its eight squads as its smoothly working components. This is the first step", said Minato, looking around calmly at the assembled Shinobi.

Yamato bowed his head slightly and stepped back in line. Naruto, though, was studying them all thoroughly. Standing directly opposite him was Uchiha Itachi, who ignored him as usual in favour of attending the Hokage. _I wonder how he keeps his Sharingan activated all the time_, wondered Naruto idly as he moved on to Itachi's right. Hatake Kakashi nodded silently as their eyes met; Naruto absolutely trusted Kakashi, partly because of the man's association with his father, but mostly because of their own association.

Kakashi had been a mentor of sorts to Naruto…one of many mentors. Certainly the very first one. To Kakashi's right stood Hyuuga Nawaki, named in honour of the sadly deceased younger brother of the Sannin, Tsunade. Naruto had heard of the man's skill and determination, and by all accounts he deserved a place in this most elite of fraternities. Apparently Nawaki had, during the Third War, singlehandedly killed thirteen Kumo Chuunin even as a boy of nine to protect cornered civilians. Such was the purity of his _Byakugan, _and his talent.

"Hokage-sama wants the ANBU to be a cohesive and cooperative whole for the sake of the village. This makes sense in the current suspicion that is rife among Konoha Shinobi. Trust is paramount for our division to survive", came a monotone, deep voice, and Naruto's attention was drawn to the supreme commander of the ANBU who stood to Nawaki's right, and at the right side of the Hokage. No one really knew who he was; even here where everyone was unveiled he was concealed by a Cat mask and a pale hooded cloak.

Cat's authority in the ANBU was second only to the Hokage's. "So that is why we are without masks today, Naruto-taicho. We are not 'taking it easy' as you seem to think", said the commander to Naruto, with just a hint of reproach.

"Right. Sorry, Cat, my mistake", Naruto apologized hurriedly, but savouring the sound of 'taicho' affixed to his name. It seemed he was doing a lot of apologizing today. Cat waved it away, and turned to the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, I believe we should get the formalities over with."

"Indeed", agreed Minato. "Four former captains have quit ANBU duty after making recommendations for their replacements. Thus, we have four new faces in this gathering. New Captains, please introduce yourselves", he bid them. Naruto stepped forward eagerly, but was beaten to the punch by a young woman.

"Sarutobi Misaki, Captain of squad Five", she said in a clear voice. Naruto craned his neck to the side, and saw that she was probably a couple years older than himself. _She looks pretty_ he admitted to himself, in the safety of his mind. The captain of squad Five was sadly a couple of inches taller than him, with a fairly cute ponytail, a heart shaped face, pale skin and a lithe, athletic build. He winked slowly at her, following his Godfather's advice. _Stuck up too_, he appended ruefully as she completely ignored him.

"Shimura Kiyoshi, Captain of squad Six", said a deep voice. The speaker was of much the same height as Misaki, but was heavily built. Instead of the traditional ANBU sword, he carried a bo-staff strapped to his back. His face was so scarred that Naruto could just make out his eyes, and mouth. His nose was entirely missing; all in all, the effect was quite grotesque and intimidating. _Shouldn't wink at this one_, he gulped, instead turning to Itachi.

"Uchiha Itachi, Captain of squad Four", said Itachi quietly, looking straight ahead with that emotionless look. Naruto made a few very discreet faces at the Uchiha, just to see if he could disturb that annoyingly calm countenance. He stopped as he spied a disapproving look on his Father's face out of the corner of his eye, and stepped forward.

"Namikaze Naruto, Captain of squad Eight", he said cheerily. Almost everyone looked annoyed by his overly bright voice, save for Kakashi, Itachi and the Hokage. And Cat, of course; there was no way anyone knew what Cat thought about anything thanks to the mask. The Hokage stood up once he was done, and walked to stand in their midst.

"Sandaime-sama", they murmured as Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared beside his successor smoothly, and Naruto saw Misaki give an deeper bow than the rest of them towards the Third. _Either this is one of Tou-san's political games to gather trustworthy people around him, or she is the old man's student. Probably both,_ he thought as both Hokage, former and current acknowledged each other with a nod. "ANBU", said the Third, inclining his head to them. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Naruto.

Naruto nodded, confirming the old man's suspicions of the new _Katana _he bore. He'd forgotten that the one of the Third's teachers had been the First Hokage.

"As you must all know by now, the stability of Konoha is threatened much more than usual", the Yondaime began gravely, commanding the attention of everyone in the room. "It has come to my attention that the Uchiha clan is planning a coup; their primary targets are I, the Elders, the Sandaime, possibly our families as well. Obviously, this cannot be allowed to happen", he said shortly, meeting their eyes in turn. "We have met here today to assign missions upon execution of a counter-strategy, to stop this threat in as bloodless a way as possible. Ideally, I would prefer for this to end with the loss of no lives."

They were all quiet at this, but Naruto knew from his fellow Captains' minute twitches in expression that his father's ideals would likely remain just that: ideals. He remained silent, not wanting to jump into the discussion just yet. The Sandaime spoke, folding his arms as he stood back to back with his successor.

"That would be my preference as well. But we have to settle for a minimum loss of life. The highest priority here is secrecy: the Village, indeed not even the Elite Jounin can know this situation and our response to it is underway. The Village _must not _show any signs of fracture or we will have a fourth war on our hands", the Sandaime said firmly. "Thus, we entrust the execution of this operation to the ANBU", he finished with a smile that spoke of his faith in the division.

"Hai, Sandaime-sama", they replied as one, and even as a new Captain Naruto could feel the strong undercurrent of pride in the room. The ANBU were always chosen for the dirtiest, most secretive, and toughest missions. There was, Naruto felt, also a feel of grave wonder at the true seriousness of the crisis. How serious _was_ it if it needed the attention of _all_ the ANBU squads?

"I am sure all of you have deduced that the string of murders in the Uchiha clan for the past few months definitely has something to do with this crisis. It is possible there was a coup within the Uchiha clan itself, to displace those who wanted no conflict with the rest of the village", Minato said, his hands clasped behind his back. "But we have no way of knowing for sure. Itachi-taicho is our sole agent in the inner circles of the Uchiha, and he is working even now to get to the bottom of this sordid mess", he paused, indicating Itachi.

_Just like him to act like a jerk to look cool, _Naruto thought, watching Itachi's stoic demeanor not change in the slightest as the gazes of seven captains and two Hokage fell on him. _And Tou-san's faith in him is just puzzling. There's no way anyone would forsake their family so easily. Especially not for Konoha, which has always treated Uchiha with hate and suspicion,_ he stewed, knowing these thoughts were useless with the Yondaime. Naruto felt his father's almost manic faith in Itachi was complete nonsense, but there were still bounds on what he could say to his father's face.

"The Sandaime, Nara Shikaku-san, the elders, and I have decided upon a strategy to deal with this crisis. The ANBU are the best in Konoha, and it falls upon you to deal with this crisis. Yes, Kiyoshi-taicho?", said Minato, acknowledging Shimura Kiyoshi's step forward. The heavyset man bowed correctly, and faced his leader.

"Yondaime-sama, who will assume the usual duties of ANBU if we are to devote all our attention to this mission?", asked Kiyoshi in his gruff voice. At this, an expression of distaste flickered across both the Sandaime and Yondaime's faces. _Don't tell me,_ thought Naruto, praying for his deductions of their expressions' implications not to be true.

"Danzo's ROOT division will assume those duties while the ANBU squads are busy with the Uchiha crisis", the Sandaime answered. The same distasteful expression flitted across all the present captains' faces, even Itachi's. Naruto was not at all happy with this decision of his father's, and he planned to shout himself hoarse at Minato once they reached home. He didn't just dislike ROOT…he _hated_ ROOT. He could see his father didn't look too happy with this either.

"Therefore let us deal with this as efficiently and quickly as possible. The Captains to my right and their squads will be categorized as division _Yellow_", said Minato, indicating Itachi, Kakashi, Nawaki, and Cat.

"The Captains to my left and their squads", he said, indicating Naruto, Yamato, Kiyoshi and Misaki, "will be termed division _Grey_. Each division and its member squads will co-operate with each other, and fulfill their specific purpose. _Grey _division will report directly to the Sandaime, and _Yellow_ will report directly to me. The hierarchy within each division will be left to your discretion- decide how you will. Each Captain will receive a document detailing mission parameters. This operation is top-secret, and confined to discussion only with those now present, and it will not be recorded even in the Hokage's secret archives. It will not exist except in your memories, and Konoha will refuse to acknowledge it ever happened. Are we clear?", asked Yondaime firmly.

"Hai, Hokage-sama", the ANBU Captains replied collectively.

"Then disperse. Your documents await you at the ANBU base. New Captains", said Minato, looking in turn at each of them, "take the day to familiarize yourselves with your squads, and also with the description of your mission parameters. This operation begins now, and will end with the cease of the Uchiha threat. Scatter!"

Naruto disappeared with _Shunshin_, only just able to observe his fellow Captains disappear as if they were never even there. He appeared directly in front of the Village's largest restaurant, and didn't even bother wearing his mask as the Village could readily identify him by his spiky yellow hair which scarily resembled that of his father's. He certainly did not have time for Yondaime fanboys to irritate him now, when he needed privacy. He smoothly slipped into a _Henge_.

"Katoru-san", he warbled as best as he could, trying to fit into his disguise of a stooping old man. The store-owner, Tsukushima Katoru, a rather kind-hearted man Naruto thought, rushed from behind his counter to help him to a seat. "My son and daughters are to meet me here, and I can't see very far. Could you please direct them to this spot if they are to ask for Captain Eagle?", he asked, making his voice as frail as possible.

"Your children call you, their father, Captain Eagle?", asked Katoru with raised eyebrows. Naruto wanted to kick himself for that stupid slip, but instead hurried to cover that mistake.

"They were mischievous children, I'm sure you know about those. You should see Yuugao-chan, now a fetching young lady…she can still charm the hair off you. And her boyfriend, Hayate-chan, is a terror", Naruto rambled on nonsensically. Inside he was grinning maniacally as Katoru seemed totally confused and a bit pitying at his monologue. He had asked his squad to meet him here the first time, since they were all new to each other. His father had done a major reshuffle of ANBU for this very mission to make old ANBU data obsolete, and squad Eight now contained four very new people including himself.

And him. He smiled even wider as a brilliant idea struck him. Beckoning a young waitress, he leaned forward as if he couldn't see her. Inside he was dancing mad jigs as he got an eyeful of her full bosom. "Would you…", he coughed repeatedly as if very sick, "would you please get me a pipe and some leaf to smoke? We old men, we have very few pleasures at the end", he said sadly.

The waitress shot him a sympathetic look and hurried off to do as he said.

_I hope they take some time to come. Good thing I'm here twenty minutes early,_ he thought gleefully rubbing his hands. _I can give smoking a shot, and see why the Old man likes it so much. I also get to do Research for a full twenty minutes without Kaa-san ever knowing about it! To hell with your three vices, Ero Sennin!,_ he crowed mentally, determined to make the best of this anonymity.

Ten minutes later, he was coughing quite badly on the smoke he had inhaled from the long pipe; he had already forsaken the drinks, detesting their bitter taste and less than pleasant smell. Some people stared oddly at him, and he immediately caught on to their questioning looks; no one could accuse him of being slow on the uptake as he swiftly changed his teenage-like coughs into one of the more racking ones he'd heard from old people. Their suspicions faded away gradually as he coughed himself hoarse. _Oh that feels good,_ he thought blissfully as he felt a hand rubbing his back gently. "Rub it in a bit deeper, child", he whimpered, smiling a little at the same sympathetic waitress who had fetched him his weed. "You've done this before, I see", he said, simulating again that old-man voice. He turned a bit to smile more at her, while in reality he was getting a good eyeful of bosom again.

The waitress blushed prettily. "I do this for my father to calm his coughs, Ojisan", she told him softly. That took a bit of the wind out of Naruto's sails, but nevertheless he graced her with what he hoped was a wisely benevolent smile. His mother would make him _weep_ if she learnt of these occasional escapades; ever since _Ero-sennin _had taken him out on his first 'research trip' two years ago, he had been hooked. He hoped his parents would never know of that though…at least not his mother. She could be beyond scary sometimes.

"Ahhh…", he groaned, closing his eyes as if falling asleep, his head lolling backwards. Sure enough, he felt the back of his head reclining on something very soft. _Oh wow,_ he giggled to himself, forgetting everything about the ANBU for just a moment as he actually snuggled against the woman's ample chest, all in the guise of a sleeping old man. _Ero-Sennin really was right. These are…,_ he sighed to himself, snuggling even more against the woman as she slowly stepped backward. He considered protesting as she disengaged fully.

_What is this restaurant? Where does Katoru get these people?_, wondered Naruto as he saw the waitress cover him with a blanket, a gentle smile adorning her face as she did so. _Well, Katoru, Namikaze Naruto is going to become a regular here,_ he announced quite happily in his own mind as he pulled the blanket tighter around himself as he laid himself on the plush sofa.

Perhaps it was the very first _Sake_ he had imbibed, perhaps it was the sheer plushness of the sofa of the bar or of the blanket…he fell into a comfortable slumber. _I love this place,_ he decided again as his eyes closed completely.

….

"This cannot be him. There must be some sort of mistake", were the words uttered by a furious Hana Inuzuka. She whirled around on her teammate who was calmly munching on some _Onigiri_. "I know I am a rookie, but I cannot believe this! Is this some sort of a joke? Do you actually believe this is what I joined ANBU for?", she snarled in Uzuki Yuugao's face, pointing angrily at the soundly sleeping 'old man' at the sofa in the row behind them.

The purple-haired ANBU was a picture of calmness as she quietly finished her food, and looked up at her fiery new teammate. "Yes", she replied succinctly to the tirade, and delicately washed her hands in the bowl provided. Her eyes flitted to the sleeping old man as well, wondering why the Hokage's eldest son had acted with all the dignity of the infamous Jiraiya at his worst. "Hayate-san", she said, looking at the sickly Shinobi who she had just been told was her teammate in squad eight, "would you please get the check? I believe it is time to meet our new captain."

Hayate acknowledged her with a cough, and called over a waitress with another cough and small wave. Yet another cough later they were sorted. Yuugao didn't know too much about her teammates, except that Hana Inuzuka had only just been drafted into ANBU from the hunter-nin squad and Hayate too was a newbie from Jounin Field operations.

_It seems we are all new to our jobs. I wonder why Hokage-sama assigned me to squad Eight under his son instead of squad One under Cat as I requested,_ she wondered idly as she stood up. It didn't escape her notice that even their Captain was new to the role- none of them could be called too experienced in ANBU, except possibly for the Captain. She did not stop Hana as the young Inuzuka woman stomped to the place where their supposed leader was sleeping happily after various dubious activities.

"It appears, Yuugao-san", came Hayate's frail voice from behind her, the man also pausing to see the infuriated Hana's actions, "that our working relationship with out Captain will not be having the best of starts. Perhaps we should stop Hana-san from destroying it beyond salvage."

Yuugao watched with amusement as Hana called for all the patrons of the restaurant to focus on her, and took special pains to call the waitress who had so kindly attended the object of her irritation. "No, Hayate-san", she responded, a slow smile lighting her face as Hana stood over the sleeping old man while forming careful seals with her hands, "Captain or not, it is better for bad habits to be broken early. We can't afford another lecher to grace Konoha, not after the last few."

"I suppose so", replied Hayate with a small grin of his own. "This is certainly going to be interesting", he added, as Hana dispelled the _Henge_ neatly. The waitress took one look at the formerly old man she had nursed so kindly a few minutes back, shock marring her face as she now beheld a soundly snoring boy in ANBU uniform. The civilians of Konoha were far from stupid, having lived side by side with the Shinobi for decades now.

It did not take the busty woman too long to infer that she had been taken advantage of, and that too by a boy barely entering his teens. With shock turning into an outraged shriek, she brandished the pan she held in her hand and began walloping the sleeping boy left, right and centre. Yuugao covered her laughs with a hand as Hayate hiccoughed openly with amusement as Namikaze Naruto stood up frantically, yelling for his assailant to stop.

"I'm the Hokage's son, woman, the Hokage's son!", he shouted at the top of his voice, probably hoping that would earn him some respite. That earned him a rather hard wallop across his back, and he took to his feet with no further delay at reasoning. Yuugao looked around the restaurant, relieved that most of the customers seemed highly amused rather than outraged by the young Shinobi's misbehavior.

"Wasn't that rather harsh, showing him up like that in front of everyone?", asked Yuugao of Hana as she came to stand at her side, dusting her hands with some satisfaction. The Inuzuka woman smiled.

"Yes, yes it was. In my clan, we do not take kindly to perverts or lechers no matter who they be", replied she with a slightly predatory look. That seemed to fade as she nodded her head towards where their Captain had fled screaming, "I believe it's time we go meet with him. The _Haimaru_ triplets tell me he is waiting at the edge of the Forest of Death", she said, referring to her canine companions.

"Very well, Hana-san", responded Hayate, with a racking cough of course. Hana just shook her head at his obviously exaggerated ailment and formed the _Ram_ seal with her new teammates. A moment later, they had left the restaurant in a large swirl of leaves to meet their Captain and form the newest edition of ANBU's squad Eight.

….

_Squad Eight_

_Captain__: Namikaze Naruto_

_Core Members__: Uzuki Yuugao, Inuzuka Hana, Gekko Hayate._

_Primary Mission__: Monitor all parameters extraneous to mission. Espionage authorized to find instigator(s). Permission granted to engage and kill hostile target(s). Permission granted to extract intel with legitimate suspicion of treason._

_Secondary Mission__: As assigned by Grey Division leader._

"Thanks", said Naruto to his Shadow Clone, dispelling it absently as he considered the document, which now burned in his hands after the specified time limit of being opened. All the fun from the restaurant had just bled away as the Clone he had sent after leaving the Hokage tower returned with the mission document. He dusted his hands to clear off the ash remains of the paper.

_Konoha is practically under martial law now. Dictatorship even,_ he thought, seating himself beneath the cool shadow of a particularly vast tree on the edges of the Forest of Death. ANBU mission manifests usually packed entire pages of information in a few single lines, their implications far and vast for those they were meant for.

He lazily picked at the blades of grass at his feet, his mind whirling as he grasped the authority that document had just granted him. _You really have picked up politics no matter what you say, Tou-san. I wonder how much authority you've given Kakashi-san_, he thought with a small grin. Namikaze Minato was an extremely shrewd man despite his affable and highly accommodating nature; Naruto was just beginning to understand in just how many ways his father was playing the game.

He had been assigned under the Sandaime to avoid undue suspicions of favoritism within the ANBU factions, for one. Naruto could now see why he had been assigned such a new team…they would be underestimated by everyone, making their jobs much easier. The Hokage was far slyer than he gave him credit for. _Monitor all parameters extraneous to operation, huh?_, he thought to himself, shivering involuntarily at the authority that single line gave him.

"Welcome Hayate-san, Yuugao-san, and Hana-san, to our first meeting as squad eight of ANBU", he said suddenly without turning around, feeling and hearing a shift in the air around him. "Please", he said, turning around to face them and indicating the rocks strewn haphazardly around the one upon which he sat, "seat yourselves."

He could see they were a little nonplussed by his seriousness. "I'm afraid we won't have much time for fun like today's for the duration of this operation. Our mission is seriously risky and time consuming", he said by way of explanation. He could see Hana Inuzuka was staring at him dubiously; apparently, he had not gained her respect in the restaurant. The other two seemed to be content with nodding slightly and waiting for him to continue.

Hana, not so much; "If you think you can get away with spying and using me like you did that woman, I'll feed you to my dogs!", she told him with fire in her eyes. The three dogs surrounding her barked and snarled in agreement, and one particularly vicious canine had to be pulled back by his owner before he could throw himself at Naruto's throat.

Naruto just stared at her. "I think I can keep my personal and professional lives very separate, thank you very much", he told her after a moment while completely ignoring her scoff at his 'personal life'. _I wonder why she drafted into the ANBU from the Hunter-nin. We don't usually get many Inuzuka here. She'll be useful for recon and tracking_, he thought, moving his gaze on to the other two members of his squad.

He knew Yuugao to be a skilled _Kenjutsu_ Kunoichi and good with Water transformation. Kakashi-san had mentioned her more than once, and that was recommendation enough for Naruto. _I know little about Hayate, except that he is good at Kenjutsu as well and is acquainted with Yuugao for more than a few years,_ he recalled from the squad report he had read a couple days previously. The higher-ups had assembled an interesting team for him…he was quite happy that he didn't have to deal with bruised egos of a team who would be outraged at having a captain barely into his teens.

That would be extremely inefficient in this crisis, where each team had to deliver their best. _Must buy Tou-san some Ramen too. He really is looking out for me,_ he thought gratefully. Naruto had long ago been taught to take help where he got it; honour and ego were merely impediments to the real goal of Shinobi life: namely, not dying.

"I know a little bit about each of you", he said, "but that mostly consists of secondhand chatter and your reports. It's enough to begin with, I think. Now then, we have no time for the traditional team building and bonding thanks to the urgency of our general mission", he told them regretfully. Flickers of disappointment crossed each of their faces: ANBU recreation was often lavish, and fully paid for by the Village.

"Crap!", Hana said loudly, hitting her fist against her palm. "Sorry. Continue, Taicho", she muttered abashedly as she felt their eyes on her. Naruto sighed at the faint contempt the girl infused while she called him 'captain'. While he applauded her morals, he had decided a long time ago not to take life any more seriously than was necessary. _Maybe I wanted to avoid being like Itachi,_ he thought with a flash of insight.

"What's our mission, Taicho?", asked Hayate, and Naruto rolled his eyes at the fellow's coughing.

"Right. Our basic mission is just this: we need to keep an eye on everyone. If someone outside the Uchiha clan shows an interest in the situation, we monitor them. Our job is to watch: if we suspect foul play, we are authorized to interrogate independently", he said, and their eyes went round at the implications. "Grey Division Leader is the Sandaime. We report to him with findings and direction. Yes, Yuugao-san?"

"Taicho…does our directive mean we can investigate and spy on_ anyone_?", asked Yuugao quietly.

"Yes", replied Naruto gravely. "We can investigate anyone we suspect, from the lowest Genin to the Council of Elders themselves. But I doubt we will be wasting our time and authority on such trifles: we know exactly why we have been given this mission, don't we?", he asked his subordinates with a discerning expression, curious to see if they had figured it out.

It appeared they had.

"It's because of ROOT, isn't it? Since they are assuming the normal duties of ANBU they can interfere. We are supposed to make sure that doesn't happen", deduced Hayate. Naruto nodded with a grin, shooting the sickly man a thumbs-up.

"Exactly", he confirmed. "The Hokage probably wants us to keep an eye on that old relic, Danzo, and his minions. ROOT always complicates every situation they are involved in, and we all know Danzo's notoriousness for finding loopholes in orders and using them to steer the village however he wants. Well, not this time", Naruto said in a hard voice.

Danzo was extremely dangerous; Tou-san had always told him it was hard to remain ahead of the old war-hawk because of one reason only: the man would stop at absolutely nothing to achieve his vision of Konoha. Morals, conscience, compassion…these things meant nothing to Danzo when a goal was to be achieved.

"I heard rumors that Uchiha Itachi was recruited by ROOT", offered Yuugao after a lull in the conversation.

"No, as far as we know they're just rumors. But we'll have to keep an eye on dear old Itachi as well", said Naruto, this time gleefully. The others looked quite discomfited by the notion. "Oh don't worry, I'll handle him myself", he assured them, actually rubbing his hands at the prospect of spying on Itachi. "You fellows co-ordinate with the rest of the squad, and ask them to tag every ROOT member skulking around the Hokage tower and the Uchiha compound", he told them.

"Uh, Taicho", said Hayate hesitantly, drawing his attention.

"What?"

"I know you're good. You have to be if you became Captain this fast", he said, exchanging glances with Yuugao. "The thing is…are you serious? Do you _actually_ believe you can tag Itachi-taicho indefinitely, that too without being detected?", he exclaimed.

"Well yes", answered Naruto modestly. "I always wanted to find out what the fellow does in his leisure time. Do you think he practices emotionless looks in front of trees or something? I've tried acting like him loads of times, and all it got me was a whack on my head from my mother", he laughed heartily, remembering his Chuunin days a few years ago when he had stopped speaking to anyone for days just to see if that was what made Itachi look cool to everyone.

His mother had certainly changed his mind about that.

"Enough about that though", he said hastily, observing his profusely sweat dropping squad mates. "Hana-san, you go and relay orders to the rest of the squad. Have them tailing those ROOT fellows as soon as possible", he ordered. Relieved as Hana grumpily disappeared with a _Shunshin_, he turned to the other two.

"Right. Now that she is out of our way, you two go meet the Sandaime and brief him about our next move. Don't forget to ask him for intel on ROOT…the old man is as sly as Danzo sometimes", he directed them, getting up and adjusting his uniform delicately. The _Katana _his mother gave him felt comfortable and light on his back as he began walking away from the Forest of Death, towards the village.

"Where are you going, Taicho?", came the voice of Yuugao just before he formed the Ram seal.

"I", he answered with a beatific grin, "am going to spy on Itachi. And it's going to be awesome", he finished, only just glimpsing her exasperated look before he disappeared soundlessly from the scene.

…


	3. Chapter 3

**Please enjoy my newest update, and do leave reviews. And by the way, I wish all my readers the most prosperous and joyous 2015!**

**Sincerely,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 3

The rooftops of Konohagakure were often alive with Shinobi activity.

Jounin, Chuunin, Genin and even prospective Genin all held their meetings upon the myriad rooftops of the village; it was far from strange to be seen talking to fellow Shinobi upon one of the roofs. ANBU took advantage of this fact more often than not, masquerading as ordinary Shinobi discussing their affairs just as anyone else. Truth be told, ANBU often spent more time unmasked rather than masked. Their masks were only for when they had targets deal with, or higher-ups to report to. Otherwise it was quite hard for those not in the know to distinguish between ANBU and normal Shinobi.

_Feels good to be a captain_, mused Naruto as he waited for his subordinates to arrive. He loved to be in the forefront of the action, to lead from the frontlines. Not that he minded taking orders but Kakashi could be a real slave-driver at times. His father had asked Kakashi to pull no punches while mentoring Naruto after _that _incident, and the Hatake, ever his Sensei's devoted disciple, had followed the orders to the letter until to the last day Naruto was in his team. _Goodbye Kakashi-san._ _Arigato Kami-sama_, he thought gratefully, hiding a few small shivers at the memories of Kakashi's 'training methods'.Those very methods had propelled him to the rank of Captain at an unprecedented age, but he did not have to like them.

_A sword is forged through fire and metal, but it loves not its forger_, Naruto thought, recalling the Sandaime's saying when he had nearly broken down from one of Kakashi's training sessions; the missions he took with that team were no joke either. Kakashi's Squad had been an out and out strike team, used as a hammer or knife with equal facility by the Hokage. Naruto had first been exposed to the reality of Shinobi life under Kakashi's tutelage, under possibly the harshest team Konoha had to offer. Their missions had been brutal, quick, and often involving great risk to life…more than was usual for a Jounin.

They had always pulled through, though not unscathed. His mother had actually threatened Kakashi with death after a mission when Naruto had been admitted to the hospital with multiple broken bones, and heavy internal bleeding. It had just been after the Hyuuga incident; Kakashi's team had been sent to infiltrate Kumogakure and capture the Niibi Jinchuuuriki in retaliation. But they had been intercepted and ambushed at the very gates of the Cloud village, their enemies having intel on them by some inexplicable manner. That day they had faced not the wrath of one Jinchuuriki but two.

"Taicho, the remaining squad members are on the tail of every ROOT member they can attach themselves to. We should have intel pouring in continuously in a day or so."

"Excellent", Naruto said with a smile, taking his hand away from near his ribs, away from the scar of the once nearly fatal wound given to him by Yugito Nii. He still had no concrete idea as to how to fulfil their mandate for this mission, but most of his plans were like that. He would play it by the ear and adapt to the situation instead of making one concrete plan. His time with his old Squad had taught him all too well that no plan survived first contact. "Oh Hana-san, Hayate-san, you are both here too. I've called you here to tell you what I have discovered by spying on the great Uchiha Itachi."

"What?", asked Hana, interested despite herself.

"Absolutely nothing",Naruto replied bluntly. Hayate's reaction was a polite cough and Yuugao's was a small smile. Hana let out a derisive snort as if it were what she had expected. "The fellow didn't quite detect me, but he certainly knew he was being tailed, by the circuitous route he took to avoid me. The Uchiha are far more prepared than we think. Before he disappeared from my sight, I think I saw him signal some of his clan people to cloak him. They used _Meisagakure no Jutsu", _Naruto said, disappointed with his failure. He knew he could have trailed Itachi successfully but for the Uchiha clan acting so flawlessly in tandem with their icon.

"How did you know it was _Meisagakure no Jutsu, _Taicho?"

"I've been trained to recognise signs of that technique", replied Naruto shortly. Iwagakure were no small enemies of his father, and that particular cloaking technique had been a favourite of theirs during the Third war. "Bloody Uchiha must have copied it during the war. Anyway, I like to think we have been given our directive not just to spy on ROOT, but to make sure everyone does their job as ordered. We cannot have Uchiha sympathisers within the system defecting now of all times. Anyway, what intel does the Sandaime have on Danzo?", he asked Yuugao.

"All the usual. He likes working in the shadows, not wanting to reveal his hand even years after successful completion of mission. Not given to gloating or boasting", the Uzuki read off the small file in her hand. "Completely devoted to the ideal of the perfect Shinobi, and routinely makes silent martyrs of his ROOT operatives. No decision of his is ever driven by emotion; he actively ensures his operatives are completely divested of emotions as well-"

"Yes, yes. We know all that. Anything different or new?"

"Not on paper, no. But the Sandaime told us in confidence that he likely covets the _Sharingan…_for the good of the Leaf of course", said Hayate with a whimsical smile.

"Apparently, Danzo's been interested in the Uchiha for years now. The Sandaime told us that Danzo had even backed Orochimaru once on the issue of procuring an Uchiha for experimentation. This is probably why we've been given this mission, Taicho; Yondaime-sama must be worried of Danzo pulling some stunt despite all the amicable face he puts up", Yuugao said, activating a seal on the file that burnt it away instantly. Naruto stood still as he considered the new information, knowing Danzo to be a player not to be taken lightly. _I'll have your back while you deal with the enemies before you, Tou-san, _he resolved to himself. Even the Yondaime Hokage could guard against so many unseen threats.

"We can stand all day here, debating Danzo's next move or we can do something to find out what it is. We need inside information on ROOT to keep tabs on the situation", Hana said suddenly. "Didn't you say yesterday that Danzo was trying to recruit Itachi? We could use that to-"

"We won't have anything to do with Itachi", Naruto cut her off curtly. At her continued glare he took a deep breath, and explained. "I won't deal with someone whose allegiances I am not certain of. I am responsible for squad Eight from now on, and I won't let some Uchiha's double dealing harm _my_ team", he said, meeting the Inuzuka woman's eyes, watching them soften ever so slightly at his declaration before flaring back to their usual righteous fury. Lightning seemed to fly from Hana's eyes as she stepped forward and poked Naruto's chest hard.

"Ow!"

"Then how are we supposed to get our intel?", she asked him loudly, even as Yuugao and Hayate watched with no little amusement.

"Would you calm down?", demanded Naruto of Hana, rubbing his chest. "I know a person who _might…_just _might_ be willing to do that for me. No I won't tell you who he is; it's better I alone know his identity if he agrees to involve himself in this huge mess", he told his astonished subordinates. It appeared he had to pay another visit to the Uchiha compound to revisit a friend he had not seen for quite some time. "Hayate-san, I need you to put together a detailed databank of the movements of every ROOT member we have tagged. You will be in charge of maintaining it properly from now on; Yuugao-san will coordinate our missions with the Sandaime and will interact with the other squads. Hana-san, you shall wait for me at the morgue where we'll get a good look at the bodies of those murdered Uchiha. We'll begin from there", he ordered.

They just stared at him, looking more glum by the moment. Naruto sighed; except for Hana these people were supposed to be years older than him. They were certainly weren't acting it today.

"What? We are an intelligence-gathering team for this mission, not some jutsu-flinging berserker team that rampages around like fools. This is what is expected of you, so get going", he told them. "See you at the morgue, Hana-san. Wait for me if I'm late", he said cheerily to her, grinning as she got a highly annoyed expression on her face. He was beginning to see why Akashiro liked to irritate people so much. Before she could do anymore than scowl, he formed the ram seal and disappeared smoothly from the rooftop.

….

Naruto stopped in front of a nondescript door, in a nondescript corner of the Uchiha compound. But the occupant of these quarters was anything but nondescript; Naruto held great respect for Uchiha Shisui, who was but a couple years older. _It was Shisui-san who truly taught me what the Will of Fire was_. _I have no right to ask this of him,_ Naruto brooded as he raised a hand to knock against the door. His family's association with Shisui's had gone back for some time; Namikaze Minato had greatly admired Shisui's ancestor Kagami, and had tried to look out for Shisui as a father would a son. If anyone would be counted as an elder sibling by Naruto, it would be Shisui.

And Naruto was loath to ask a precious person of his to deal with a veritable nest of vipers. _But there is no help for it. If anyone can come out of a situation like that it is Shisui-san,_ he tried to convince himself, and took a deep breath and knocked twice. There was only a brief moment's lull before the door opened to reveal a smiling Shisui.

"Oh ho, Naruto! Come in, come in. We barely talk after you were drafted into Kakashi-san's squad! I hear you made Captain, along with Itachi!", greeted the Uchiha cheerfully, holding the door wide open for a secretly pensive Naruto to enter.

"Ohayo, Shisui-san. I've been busy you know. Sorry I couldn't come talk", replied Naruto sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he entered Shisui's quarters. Everything was as he remembered it; it was a room bare mostly of all but the most basic necessities. He plopped down on the sofa, watching Shisui whistle happily as he made tea for the both of them. _He does look quite happy,_ Naruto observed, watching the spring in Shisui's step as the Uchiha brought a tray with a couple teacups.

"Extra honey for the occasion, Naruto!", Shisui proclaimed, generously adding the ingredient to their cups. "Yes, yes. Go on and ask what's made me so happy!"

"Alright, what's made you so happy?", asked Naruto, humouring Shisui's cheer. He'd be destroying it soon enough anyway with his outrageous request. Shisui twirled around happily, making Naruto stare at him in askance. Shisui was usually very upbeat, but this was over the top even for him. "Okay, Shisui-san, this is too much. Go on, what's happened to make you like this?", he asked curiously. He had been out of Shisui's life for the past year or so, only greeting him in passing or for the sake of courtesy. Kakashi's team and missions had consumed his life in more ways than one for that year.

"Misaki said yes!", shouted Shisui in his face, hopping around the room like a loon with a blinding smile on his face. "She said yes, Naruto. _Finally _she said yes!", he yelled again. Meanwhile, Naruto had gone very, very still at the name. He clapped loudly in Shisui's face to make him stop prancing around like crazy.

"Wait, wait! Who's Misaki, Shisui-san?", he questioned urgently. He knew exactly one Misaki, and he had a bad feeling that was who Shisui was talking about. Shisui went gloomy for a moment, presumably because Naruto was so behind on things but he perked up soon enough. He actually Body Flickered to a drawer, and Flickered back to Naruto in an instant. Naruto's blood ran cold as he saw Shisui in the picture, smiling, with his right arm draped around the shoulders of his fellow Captain Sarutobi Misaki. _When did this happen_, he questioned silently, gulping as he looked at Shisui. A sick feeling began to form in his stomach as he considered he would be making more than one thing extremely difficult for Shisui.

"Sarutobi Misaki's my girlfriend, Naruto! And she's my fiancé as of today morning!", Shisui yelled again, his coal-black eyes gleaming with happiness as he shouted out his happiness to the world. "You barely came around, what with all your missions and getting beaten up all the time. But then we've not gone around telling everyone either. It's basically why I didn't bother with the ANBU, the Police Force is enough for me. I met Misaki a few months ago when I made Jounin, and it happened before we both knew it. We'd fallen in-", Shisui suddenly stopped his excited speech as he saw Naruto plop down on the sofa with an ashen face.

"Naruto, what's wrong?", he asked seriously. "I thought you'd be happy for me-"

"I am, Shisui-san, I am", Naruto reassured hurriedly, rapidly reevaluating his request. Shisui had been solitary most of the time…unlike that jerk Itachi who had the best family, Shisui was an orphan. Naruto was beyond happy Shisui had found happiness in life. "Wait, did my parents know about this?"

"No", replied Shisui, still looking at him with a discerning expression. "Let's talk about that later. But is there a problem with Misaki? You didn't seem too pleased at hearing she was my fiancé. Is it something to do with the ANBU? She's a Captain there, you know? She was probably inducted with you and Itachi", he said, pride shining forth as he spoke of his fiance.

Naruto decided then and there he wouldn't mention the fact that he had eyed Sarutobi Misaki with more than a gentlemen's stare during the Captain's meeting. "She was. I just met her a few days ago", he said, sipping his tea to look away from Shisui. A few moments of tense silence later he decided he would just ask; if Shisui refused he would probably have to improvise. Naruto in truth hoped he would refuse, but for duty's sake he had to ask. Deciding that further small talk would be pointless he laid down his teacup firmly and looked at Shisui.

"Shisui-san, I have something to ask of you. It probably won't be easy…in fact it will be pretty much a repulsive thing to do, but it may just help save the situation", said Naruto quickly. "You see, there's something going on with-"

"The Uchiha Clan?", completed Shisui seriously. "I know, Naruto. I shouldn't probably tell you this but I was the one who first brought it to the attention of Sarutobi-sama. Oh to hell with this;I may as well tell you the rest. My clan asked me to keep watch on Itachi, he's been acting odder than ever. I'm supposed to make sure Itachi works for the clan and us alone."

Naruto sat still at this flood of information, glad that Shisui still trusted him this much. He didn't really care about the Itachi acting odd part, he'd never been any different. Whatever Itachi did Naruto had the feeling it would be something no one would expect of his fellow 'prodigy'. He steeled himself as he looked squarely at Shisui.

"I want you to join ROOT, Shisui-san. I trust you as much as I trust my parents, and I know only you can make this convincing. Kagami-sama was a trusted friend of Danzo and you will be welcomed into ROOT with open arms if you try. I need inside information on what Danzo is up to. ROOT has insinuated itself too deeply into Konoha's Shinobi ranks, and it's my job to make sure they don't do anything drastic. I think Danzo will stab Tou-san in the back to get what he wants, and I can't let that happen. I need your help, Shisui-san", he said earnestly.

Shisui froze for a moment, and then grinned at Naruto. "That should be fairly easy", he said happily to a shocked Naruto.

"Why on earth would it be easy?", asked Naruto faintly.

"Because I've already joined ROOT! You're actually the third person to ask it of me. And none of them was Hokage-sama, if that's what you are about to ask", replied Shisui, staggering Naruto further.

"Who are the other two?", Naruto asked, leaning forwards, his hands forming into fists.

"My fiancé, Sarutobi Misaki. Actually I insisted for her; there was no way I'd let her be involved in this without every shred of information she could get. The second was my other best friend, who, like you approached me to do this for him. I agreed, because I would not let my friend play such a dangerous role without knowing what Danzo was doing", sighed Shisui. Naruto's hands shook as he mastered himself. It appeared he was already deep into this cursed mess, for him to already be crossing paths with Itachi. _At least I am doing my job right,_ he thought humourlessly.

"So you can help me with the intel?", he asked, partly with relief that he wouldn't be the cause of a rift in Shisui's relationships.

"Naruto, I knew you'd eventually come to me with such a request after you'd made captain", said Shisui, clasping Naruto's arm in a tight grip. "I'd have done this to help you even if you were the first to ask. So don't worry, I don't plan on just fishing around for intel", Shisui said, his _Sharingan_ flaring into life as he looked at Naruto with blazing conviction. "I plan to end this discord once and for all. I've been seeing the fractures in the clan for years now, and I am prepared. I am just waiting for a proper moment to use it. The moment where it can have the maximum effect."

"How?", asked Naruto quietly; this was not at all how he expected the meeting with Shisui to go. "What are you going to use?"

"You don't need to worry about that, Naruto", said Shisui, ruffling his hair as he'd done years before. "It's my task to do. But I'll help you with what you came here for; you'll get intel on ROOT same as Misaki and Itachi."

It was a compromise, and Naruto knew now was not the time to pry. "Thank you, Shisui-san", he accepted with a small bow, and got up to leave. Shisui stopped him by calling his name just before he stepped over the threshold. Naruto turned back to see Shisui facing away from him, his face half in shadow thanks to the fading sunlight.

"Yes, Shisui-san?"

"Don't contact me directly too much, Naruto", Shisui said. "I can't have much to do with the Hokage or his family during this affair. It's not exactly encouraged by ROOT or by the Uchiha. Reach me through either Misaki or Itachi."

"Very well. Misaki it is then", sighed Naruto, immediately discounting Itachi. With another small bow he disappeared from the Uchiha compound.

…

"Ah, Kakashi, thank you for coming", said the Fourth Hokage genially, though the words were empty formality. Kakashi nodded graciously nevertheless as he joined his Sensei in the Hokage tower. He only gave short greetings to the others present, for he knew they were not here to waste time on formality. The Sandaime and Danzo eyed each other carefully, with the respect of old friends and the wariness of old enemies. The Fourth himself sat behind his desk, looking a little weary to Kakashi who had known him for enough time to make out such signs. But he also knew that the Uchiha situation was extremely volatile, and when it came down to the essentials the only thing that stopped them from blowing into open mutiny was the extreme prowess of Namikaze Minato. _Sharingan_ or no, the Yondaime Hokage was in another league altogether.

He had not stayed idle since the Kyuubi attack either. Kakashi did not know how much his Sensei had improved from their last battle together, at the Kannabi bridge, but he could guess that he had left the Sandaime behind. It was the Yondaime Hokage for the most part, who in the end held back the greedy Iwa and Kumo usurpers who would otherwise take advantage of the fractures in Konoha's hierarchy.

"Your missive said you had found out why the Uchiha murders are occurring, Sensei", Kakashi prompted quietly, though he had a few personal suspicions himself. He had certainly not kept them from his old teacher, and the way the Yondaime looked at him made him think that those suspicions were vindicated. Outside the Uchiha clan, he was much the only person who knew anything significant of the _Sharingan._

"We've known for quite some time, Kakashi", answered Hiruzen instead. "Indeed, when Minato said you suspected something of this sort, we decided it would be best you were fully in the know."

Kakashi's blood ran cold. "You mean-"

"You guessed right, Hatake", Danzo said in his gravelly voice. "Though how you know of such a secret I cannot fathom", said the old war-hawk sarcastically, eyeing Kakashi's covered _Sharingan_. Kakashi's hand twitched towards his sheathed _Katana_, a motion that was missed by none in the room. His lip curled in a sneer beneath his mask as Danzo smiled slightly at his overt hostility. Minato stood up, and their personal battle ceased in deference to the Hokage.

"Naruto reported that they were preparing far better than we ever anticipated. While we sought peace with them they were actively preparing for war. They want Konoha, to such an extent that they are willing to sacrifice their own kinsmen for it. They can even kill their own family to make their eyes evolve. _Monsters_", spat Minato, his blue eyes flashing with anger. Kakashi had seen that look last when he and Rin had been attacked on all sides by an army of Iwa Jounin. The next instant, literally a blink of an eye later, the entire posse had been killed, slaughtered mercilessly by the Yellow Flash of Konoha.

For some reason, Danzo looked slightly pleased by this reaction. "Hokage-sama, we need to consider just who taught them that secret. After Uchiha Madara, Tobirama-sensei and Uchiha Kagami decided that the knowledge of the _Mangekyo Sharingan_ was best forgotten. Hiruzen and I did our best to continue that; I wonder who reintroduced its secret again", the old relic asked the room at large. He smirked slightly at Kakashi again, who just eye-smiled at the veteran.

_Mangekyo Sharingan._

The only reason Kakashi knew of those eyes were because he had come to possess them, if only due to a deep personal tragedy. "I cannot believe they have sunk this low", he murmured, wondering sadly of what Obito would think of his clan's current state.

"Unfortunately it makes sense", the Sandaime replied quietly. "I would certainly have a great deal of trouble fighting against multiple users of the _Mangekyo._ Only the Senju clan could stand against the full power of the Uchiha, I fear. If they sent perhaps four _Mangekyo_ users against each of us, we would certainly be greatly challenged. Perhaps not Minato, but certainly Danzo and I", he said with certainty. Kakashi wondered how many he could take…perhaps two if they weren't trained well, but knowing the Uchiha they would probably be lethal.

"I agree with Hiruzen, for once. We are past our prime", sighed Danzo. "His and my best days are behind us, and while experience is something, it is not so important as strength or agility while fighting the _Mangekyo Sharingan. _The only other S-class Shinobi in Konoha are Jiraiya and Tsunade, who are absent. The rest of our Shinobi will be easy prey to the _Mangekyo,_ I fear. Those are eyes of great power, and not to be defeated by normal Jounin."

"Sensei, do you still think this can all be stopped peacefully? They've gone too far now", Kakashi said hesitantly.

"I would rather that strength, however vile begotten, be harnessed for Konoha than against us, Kakashi", replied Minato bluntly. "Fugaku is a friend, as is Mikoto. My children and many others have spent their childhood in the Uchiha compound, our bonds with them are deep. I won't throw them away for some radical who is inspiring all this newfound hate and discontent. I won't strike until the last possible moment - we need to root out and destroy the source of their hatred", said the Yondaime strongly.

"Pretty thoughts, Yondaime-sama, but what safeguard is there for the people of Konoha if the Uchiha decide to strike right now. Right this moment?", questioned Danzo harshly.

Minato was unfazed.

"Me", he replied calmly, and Danzo looked taken aback at this. "I will be as fair to them as humanly possible, but if they actually attack my village, I will personally finish them to the last man. Do not mistake kindness for weakness, Danzo-san. I will not forgive anyone who attacks the Village be they my friends, my siblings, or even my own children", he said in a voice that could cut steel. Danzo's face was emotionless, but his bow was a little deeper as he abruptly took leave of them. What option did he have?, thought Kakashi. Minato very rarely commanded by fear, but when he did the attention he gained was absolute.

"Sensei", spoke up Kakashi the moment Danzo left the room. "About Naruto and Kushina-san, I think we-"

"It's taken care of. My personal bodyguards are always at the house, and will transport Kushina and Akashiro to me the moment something is amiss. At the very least they can alert me. As for Naruto, I've tried my best to keep him away from the Uchiha and still as involved in the mission as possible. Beyond that, I can do nothing else. I have acknowledged Naruto as capable of captaining an ANBU squad, and babying him at this stage will be disrespect", said Minato heavily.

"Kushina will be the likely target if the Uchiha decide to take that alternative", the Sandaime put in gruffly. "Naruto holds the Kyuubi's _Yang_ chakra, while Kushina holds the _Yin_ chakra. The _Sharingan_ can manipulate the _Yin_ element with a far greater ease than _Yang_, I fear. Perhaps we can use Kushina as bait?"

The question was posed with no lack of concern, for they all knew Kushina was a very capable Kunoichi. Minato did not even look offended as he nodded. "It's something to look into", agreed the Yondaime. "But I will always be on the alert. The moment they make they begin shedding the blood of Konoha Shinobi will be the moment they have chosen death", he said, and Kakashi caught the glint of the familiar tri-pronged Kunai marked with sealing formulas in his hand.

As they sat together silently, pondering over the meeting and its consequences, Kakashi looked at his Sensei who had become a hard man over the years. There was still that kindness, oh yes that was still there. There was also an inherent sense of fairness and compassion and empathy, but they were tempered by a decade and a half of leading Konoha. _But then who am I to judge,_ thought Kakashi whimsically, mulling over his own decisions after years of leading his ANBU squad.

_In the end, we all end up as names in a list. Whether on a memorial stone or in the minds of our killers, that is the end for most of us,_ thought Kakashi morosely as they observed silence in the fading sunlight of the Hokage chamber.

…

Exactly two kinds of people visited the Konoha Morgue: the police force, and the Research division. It was fairly odd for one of the normal Shinobi force to be present here, and Naruto did feel out of place as he pushed past the door to enter the gloomy, low-ceilinged chamber. "Hana-san! Sorry to make you wait. Where's-", Naruto stopped abruptly in his question, watching Hana standing silently amidst the rows of well-preserved corpses. There seemed to be something about how she stood that dictated the need for delicacy, not brashness. So he quietly made over to where she stood, and opened his mouth to ask her more gently as to where the Uchiha were stored away.

And he promptly forgot his question as he stared at what lay before them. Thoughts of Shisui, his family and the crisis fled as he beheld the section of the morgue that lay before him now.

His hands shook slightly as he considered what was supposed to be the Uchiha row of the morgue, now burnt away in neat furrows where the bodies should be cased. "Was it like this when you came in to visit, Hana-san?", he asked calmly, bottling his anger in a well-practised ritual Kakashi-san had taught him years ago. The ground surrounding the Uchiha row was still very hot, and the cases in the row themselves had completely melted along with the ground that held them. _Fire Release,_ he decided immediately, noting the ashes floating in the air.

"Well, Hana-san? Was it like this when you came in?", he asked again, whirling to face his silent subordinate. Irritated by her lack of an answer, he appeared opposite her and snapped his fingers in her face. He grew alarmed as there was no hint of acknowledgement of his presence; she stared straight ahead with no clue of what happened around her, and Naruto beheld the tiny, periodic twitches of her limbs as she stared off into the distance. His lip curled with barely suppressed rage as he recognised the phenomenon instantly: his subordinate was under a _Genjutsu_ even as he spoke.

His mind raced through the possibilities, and he came to a single conclusion in an instant. A _Genjutsu _could not be maintained without the caster actively exerting themselves, and Hana was still suffering from one. Chakra blossomed within him instantaneously;"_Kai!"_, he said loudly, forming half a ram seal with his left hand. Hana's eyes immediately rolled to reveal whites as she was released from the _Genjutsu_, and Naruto created a Shadow Clone to catch her even as he caught sight of a completely black-attired figure rushing out of the morgue.

"_Shunshin no Jutsu."_

The attacker's eyes widened considerably as Naruto appeared right before him, just an inch before he cleared the doorway. Naruto only had a split-second's warning before a foot lashed out at him in a powerful kick; he ducked slightly, just enough for the kick to lash clear of his head. _I__'__m not the Yondaime__'__s son for nothing,_ he thought angrily as he rapidly formed the ram-seal with his left hand. The attacker could barely react as Naruto blurred into another _Shunshin_, his right palm crashing into the enemy's abdomen in a fraction of the next second.

The attacker went flying, slamming quite painfully into the marble floor of the long chamber and skidding almost to the wall at the far end. Naruto didn't stop his attack for a moment, and disappeared in yet another Body Flicker only to appear above the attacker's prone form. His rapid movement smoothly morphed into drawing his _Katana_ in a fluid motion, and he brought it down point-first with all his might. The world seemed to slow down for Naruto as the sword went down towards the attacker's chest. Chips of the floor went flying all around as the Shodai Hokage's sword drove deep into the floor effortlessly, the masked attacker having avoided being impaled by a hairsbreadth.

Only the opponent's eyes were visible, the rest of his body concealed by black attire. And Naruto's lip curled in a snarl as he saw the _Sharingan_ staring back at him. "You read my movement at the last second", he spat, feeling information flow into his mind. His clone had safely taken Hana back to the Squad's base, and had dispelled itself there…at least he had not lost a subordinate in the very first week of his Captaincy. "You'll pay for what you did here", he promised, and lifted his left hand once more to form a seal as he wrenched the _Katana_ out of the ground with his right. HIs eyes widened as the Uchiha attacker's hands rose, and flashed through half a dozen seals in a matter of a second. The attacker's voice was muffled, giving him no clue as to identity or even gender.

"_Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!__"_

The morgue was lit by a large fireball, it's heat scalding Naruto even some distance away. But even that distance was covered fast by the fire attack, and Naruto just managed to sheathe his sword and perform a couple of seals. The attacker sighed as Naruto seemed to be consumed by the fireball, barely flinching as the fireball blew out a large hole in the wall. The room was devastated, several bodies burnt, and burning by the path of the Grand Fireball. Sighing, the attacker moved towards the hole his technique had blown.

He had barely taken a step while a small thud sound resounded through the room.

"I won't really fall to such a simple attack", Naruto said dryly, looking directly at the unknown Uchiha's eyes, while his fist was buried in his opponent's stomach. He'd managed to substitute with a clone at the last second, though the window offered by the Grand Fireball was small. He didn't even flinch at the final memories of the clone that came to him, the sensation of being reduced to ashes by fire. This was nothing compared to training with Kakashi-san.

"I know", the attacker replied simply, his voice muffled again.

"I thought you'd be unconscious or gasping for breath on the floor by now at the very least. More Uchiha trickery?", he asked conversationally, the edge to his voice only just manifesting. He did not know how he knew, but he knew the attacker was smiling beneath his mask.

"Yes", said the unknown Uchiha comfortably, seemingly fond of short responses. Naruto cursed under his breath as the Uchiha suddenly shattered into petals.

_When did he catch me with that Genjutsu?_, he fumed angrily as he loosened his fist from where it uselessly punched the air. He prided himself on his ability to sense _Genjutsu_; Minato had always been inordinately proud of the fact that Naruto was as skilled a sensor as himself. It was one of the two areas where Naruto could safely say he even approached his father's league.

The other, of course, was Ramen eating where he outstripped his father easily.

"Report these events to Sandaime", he ordered a clone that popped into existence next to him. The Uchiha had been well-informed about his abilities, far too much for comfort. That _Genjutsu_ had been very subtle, so much so that he had not even noticed it being cast.

"I shouldn't have looked at his eyes. I'm an ANBU captain and I failed to capture some random Uchiha", he berated himself under his breath, knowing that was when he'd fallen prey to the _Sharingan_. He had often been berated by Kakashi for his desire to dominate the fight both psychologically and physically; Kami knew Naruto had been hospitalised enough by Kakashi for staring arrogantly into the latter's _Sharingan_. This was certainly not the first time his unfortunate tendency had got him under a _Genjutsu,_ though this one was like a feather compared to Kakashi's knives and hammers. He felt the former were the more dangerous variety of _Genjutsu_ in the long run, though.

He made another clone. "Enquire about Hana-san's condition, and tell the others I'll be home for now", he ordered it, sighing as it ran off. He'd certainly not imagined a simple trip to the morgue to investigate the Uchiha murders would result in _this_. _They obviously did not want anyone looking too closely at their dead. I must find out why…this leads somewhere. I'll leave Danzo and ROOT to the others for now. I must follow this,_ he thought. He blew out a breath as he looked at the large hole blown in the wall by the Fireball, reminded of today's potentially unpleasant evening. His mother had invited Mikoto-san's family over for dinner, which meant Naruto would have too bear with Fugaku _and_ Itachi at the same time.

_Oh joy. That too after I was attacked by an Uchiha. Only Mikoto-san and Sasuke will make dinner bearable,_ he thought wearily, his mind awash with thoughts of the attacker, of Shisui-san's life and promise and of the crisis itself as he disappeared from the devastated morgue.

….

"Kushina-sama."

Kushina, who was reaching for a book high on the shelf of Minato's study, jumped in fright and promptly dropped the book with a clattering sound. "Itachi! Don't do that again!", she scolded, trying to calm her fiercely beating heart. She tended to lose awareness of the world when deep in her research of _Fuuinjutsu_, only Ramen could pull her away from that state. Well that or Minato…she blushed slightly as she thought of the previous night. She focused to find Itachi staring calmly at her, but most likely having understood every fluctuation of her emotion. His mastery of the _Sharingan_ was too deep for one so young; sometimes she felt the rage of the _Kyuubi_ within her when she looked directly at the boy's constantly activated _Doujutsu._

"I apologize, Kushina-sama. I do not know any other way to move", said Itachi contritely, surprising her a great deal as he knelt to gather up the book she had dropped. "I simply came by to tell you we would be unable to attend today's dinner. Kaa-san is not well", he said, handing her the tome. Kushina's expression grew concerned for her friend.

Whatever was going on with the Uchiha, she knew it was taking a toll on Mikoto. She knew all too well the fear of her eldest son being exposed to life-threatening situations on a daily basis. She still dreamed of something ill befalling Naruto on his missions, and that situation was not eased by her eldest son's proclivity for finding the worst kind of trouble. She gestured for Itachi to find a seat, but the Uchiha prodigy remained standing.

"It's nothing major with her, is it? She used to skive off classes at the Academy all the time with that excuse", she told Itachi, fondly remembering those uncomplicated times. "I shouldn't come check on her should I?", she asked impishly.

"Uh, that won't be necessary Kushina-sama", coughed Itachi, looking sheepish. "She's in a bad shape."

"Right. Thanks for coming by, Itachi", she said. "I see so little of you these days. You were always such a serious little boy, but so intelligent. I can still talk freely with you, can't I?", she asked with a raised eyebrow, noting his slight shift to discomfort.

That discomfort instantly disappeared, replaced with the calm expression she knew so well. "Of course, Kushina-sama", murmured Itachi. She nodded, smiling as she pulled him down to sit with her. He felt stiff for an instant, before he acquiesced. Tea felt too mellow for the occasion, so she poured them both a generous helping of _Sake. _

"You are old enough to have this now. Unlike with Naruto, I am certain you won't go wild with it", she said, a hint of exasperation entering her tone. Naruto may have mellowed quite a bit during the ANBU, but at heart he was passionate. He just didn't know how to limit himself when indulging something, and it was adorable how much he resembled a younger version of herself. "Go on", she urged, and Itachi seemed to decide something and downed the _Sake_ in one gulp.

"You don't relax even when you down _this_ drink, do you?", she asked, annoyed as Itachi looked up at her as alert and serene as ever. She herself was quite sensitive to this drink, its exquisite mix of ingredients and brewing never failed to loosen her tongue. "Itachi, did you know my entire clan was slaughtered in the previous war? My parents died when I was just two years old, and my clan's _Fuuinjutsu_ was feared by every Elemental nation. Konoha tried to aid us, but our slaughter was long over before the force under the Legendary Sannin managed to reach us", she said suddenly.

"Yes. I have studied this", he replied quietly.

"You haven't yet felt the pain of having no one to call your own", she said suddenly, leaning forward with a frighteningly intent expression. "You know, in some distant corner of your mind, you still believe you will have what you have, forever. But you will never know when the axe will fall, when the forest will be reduced to ashes by the errant fire. You must _never, ever_ have regrets when it comes to family", she exhorted him. He looked taken aback by the fire in her tone, she was being more fervent than ever before.

Oddly enough, Itachi had reacted to her and Minato more than to anyone else. She knew she saw a more carefree side of him often, which was far more than anyone but Mikoto could say. The sudden absence of that bond was hurting her friend, and she would take the opportunity to put forth those concerns to Itachi. She was quite certain Itachi would change if she made him see her logic; he had always acknowledged logical arguments even as a child.

It had made her jealous of Mikoto sometimes, how easily her friend was able to raise Itachi. Naruto on the other hand had been an excitable ball of fire, usually managing to exhaust even her with his pranks and tendency to cause general chaos.

"I will not have any regrets", he replied after a few seconds. "Kaa-san may feel alienated for now, but she will thank me when I carry my family through this crisis safely. I cannot lose focus. One mistake on my side, and the axe will fall, as you say, on one or both sides. I am fully focused on my mission, Kushina-san. You must tell my mother, console her that I am not truly lost. She worries far too much about me. I can take care of myself."

"You boys", said Kushina, shaking her head ruefully, as she downed another gulp of the beverage. "Naruto and you, so similar yet so different. You will never understand how we mothers feel with children as brilliant and foolhardy as you", she told him, this time not stopping him as he got up to leave.

"Thank you for the drink, Kushina-san", said Itachi, as he quietly exited the room, "and the talk."

"You're welcome", Kushina called, as she felt Itachi's presence disappear entirely from the room. Sighing, she got up to continue her research. Minato had needed her expertise with seals many times, and this was one such instance. _Might as well turn to familiar sources for this sort of thing. The designer of Konoha's barrier is the best person to turn to when trying to modify it,_ she thought, reaching for the well-worn treatise on sealing techniques, a tome she had treasured ever since she had been released from Mito-sama's tutelage.

There was work to be done, and seals to be crafted.


End file.
